


Master, Be My Slave

by hunter_king



Series: Supernatural - J2 [38]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Blood Play, Bottom Jared Padalecki, Branding, Human Jared Padalecki, M/M, Minor Character Death, Swearing, Top Jensen Ackles, Vampire Jensen Ackles, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:55:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 43,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24981934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunter_king/pseuds/hunter_king
Summary: In a world that's been taken over by vampires, Jared feels like he is the only human left. Once he's captured by the vampires, he gets picked by Jensen. At first, they hate each other, but eventually they begin to form a close bond that turns to much more than just friendship.
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins/Vicki Vantoch
Series: Supernatural - J2 [38]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1190143
Comments: 19
Kudos: 297





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> written for the 2020 SPN J2 BigBang challenge  
> beta'd by jdl71  
> Art done by [jdl71](https://jdl71.livejournal.com/181588.html) & [Dun](https://dun.livejournal.com/24905.html)

He was late. It was already mid day, and he had planned on getting out of here early in the morning to start his trip. But inventory had taken a lot longer than he'd initially thought it would, and now he felt like he was being rushed. If he thought he could get away with it, he would have just waited until the following day. But he didn't have any food here – there was no way he could skip this run. 

Sometimes, he hated the way the world was now. He was all alone – had been for the last two years. All he had left now were the memories of the way the world had been before it had all gone to shit. Before the vampires had taken over. Before every single member of his family had been ripped away from him, leaving him alone and scared. 

The world hadn't always been like this. Just five years ago, everything had been fine. Humans were at the top of the food chain, and everything had been the way it was supposed to be. Nothing changed over night – everything was gradual. He wasn't sure if that was better or worse. Better because it left a small piece of hope that maybe the remaining humans could fight back and win. But worse because they'd all seen this coming, and no one had been able to stop it.

It had been a Tuesday night in March. He remembered it like it had been yesterday. Even to this day, thinking about it had tears springing to his eyes, and a sick feeling forming deep in his belly. That night he'd lost almost everything. And then a few short years later, he'd lost the rest. Now, all he had left was his freedom – if he lost that, then he had nothing.

_Vampires had been a part of the town for about seven years before they finally made their move. Every now and then someone from the town would go missing, but the locals wouldn't do anything about it. Most of the time, it was just drug addicts without family, or the homeless people who lived on the outskirts of the town. No one who would be missed._

_So, the locals would act like nothing was going on. They'd let the vampires have their meal every once and a while, and everyone would go about their business. One could even say the humans and the vampires were living in harmony. But they should have known that it was just a rouse. When two apex predators are forced to share the same environment, it's only a matter of time before everything boils over and the bloodshed begins._

_That Tuesday night, the worst thing imaginable happened. The screams could be heard throughout the town. People being ripped from their homes and dragged off to some unknown location. It was horrible – like something straight out of a horror movie._

_Jared had been sleeping when it all happened. The sounds of his neighbors screaming had woken him with a start. Quickly, the young man ran out of his room and down the stairs into the living room. His whole family was huddled in the middle of the room, trying to see what was going on outside._

_Once his father realized that he was awake, he ushered him over to them, wrapping his strong arms around Jared when he got close enough. “What's happening?” Jared asked, trying to see anything that might give him a clue through the curtains. It was pitch black outside though, and his father's larger frame was blocking his view._

_“We're not sure,” his father answered him with a shake of his head. “Just stay back. Keep away from the windows and any doors.” Grabbing his shotgun, the older man moved his family to the couch. “Just sit here and wait for me. I'll be right back.”_

_Before he could move, his wife's hand shot out. “Don't leave us here,” she begged, shaking her head. Fear was clear on her beautiful features. “We should stick together. We have no idea what's happening out there. It's safer for us all to be together.”_

_A small smile came to the man's lips as he reached for his wife's hand. He pressed his lips to the back of her hand before he placed it in her lap. “I'll be fine, sweetheart,” he assured the scared woman before he moved toward the door. Quickly, he opened it, sliding outside and allowing the door to close safely behind him._

_After a few minutes of not knowing what had happened to his father, Jared started to get antsy. “We can't just stay here,” he objected, shaking his head as he pushed himself off the couch. “I don't know what's happening out there, but I know Dad isn't safe out there alone. We have to go after him.” When his mother just stared blankly at him, Jared turned his attention to his older brother. “Jeffrey?” he pleaded, feeling like he was at a loss._

_Shaking his head, Jeffrey explained, “Dad told us to stay here. We should just stay here and wait for him to come back. For all we know, those _things_ are out there! And neither one of us is any good to Dad if we're caught. They'd probably kill us on the spot! Let's just wait for a little while.”_

_Just as Jeffrey ended his suggestion, the door flew open, their father landing in a heap all the way in the kitchen. “Gerald!” his wife called out, pushing past her children and moving to rush toward her husband. He was bleeding profusely from his neck, and there was a fresh wound on his head. “Oh God, are you okay?” she asked, lifting his head to rest on her knees._

_Slowly, Jared moved to the hallway, glaring out the door at the man who had thrown his father back into the house. His lips were stained red, his long fangs protruding from his mouth. “Mmm...come out, come out little boy,” the vampire cooed, smiling widely at him. “You look like you taste good.” When he didn't move to do as he was told, the vampire came closer, stopping just short of the door. “I said...get out here.”_

_For a second, Jared almost walked out that door. But his brother stopped him, Jeffrey's strong fingers wrapping around his arm. “Get away from the door, Jared,” Jeffrey ordered, tugging him into the kitchen to be with his parents. His father looked like he was in pretty bad shape, which had his mother freaking out. He and Jared needed to be strong right now. “Come on,” he urged, pulling his brother along after him as he knelt down on the floor beside his mother._

_A wide grin came to the vampire's lips as he grabbed a couple of Jared's neighbors. “Get in there,” he ordered, shoving the man into the house as he wrapped his fingers around his wife's throat. “Do as your told, and I'll let her live,” the vampire promised. “Bring them to me.”_

_Not having a choice, the man moved to the kitchen. He grabbed Gerald first because he was the weakest at the moment, shoving the woman off him when she tried to fight him. The man punched Jeffrey in the jaw when he tried to stop him, sending him falling into Jared, incapacitating the both of them. Once he had Gerald outside, he grabbed Gerald's wife, carrying her from the house as well._

_As she was being dragged out of the house, kicking and screaming, she yelled, “Run!” When her children didn't listen to her, she screamed the order once more. “Get out of here! Go! Run away and don't look back!”_

_There was no way in Hell Jared was leaving this house. Instead of moving away from his parents, Jared started toward them, ready to fight off whatever tried to get in his way. He was a black belt, dammit! He should be able to take his forty year old neighbor and his wife, if need be._

_However, before he could get too close, Jeffrey grabbed him, pulling him toward the back door. “No!” Jared screamed, trying to fight his brother. “Don't! Jeffrey, we can't just leave them!” No matter how hard he fought his brother, Jeffrey wouldn't let up. “Jeffrey, stop!” he pleaded, scratching and clawing at his brother's hoodie in an attempt to make him let him go. He could have easily used more force to get away, but he didn't want to hurt the older man._

_The last thing Jared saw before his brother pulled him out the back door was the vampire's fangs sinking into his mother's neck. The sickening crack of bone rang through the night when the vampire snapped his mother's neck to the side roughly, breaking her neck so she wouldn't fight him as he drank deeply._

That had been five years ago. Ever since that night, he hadn't felt safe. His parents were dead, which meant that his home was no longer owned by a living person. And that meant the vampires could enter without an invitation. He and Jeffrey had been together for three more years – he always managed to find them food and shelter. He'd kept them away from the vampires right up until he'd been captured. Jared wasn't sure if he was dead or alive. For his sake, he wished Jeffrey was dead. That was much better than the alternative.

This world no longer belonged to the humans. It belonged to the vampires. Humans were nothing more than pets to the vampires. If they didn't kill you, they kept you as a slave – a blood bag with legs. The last thing he wanted for his brother was to end up like that. Jeffrey was too strong to become someone's next meal. And he knew that his brother would have rather been killed than left alive to serve the things that killed their parents.

But he didn't want to think about all that right now. He just wanted to keep focused on the task at hand. He needed supplies – food and water, mainly. Everything else could wait until tomorrow morning. But there was no way he could go another day without water. He was already starting to feel weak from dehydration.

Stuffing his knife into his backpack, Jared quickly walked toward the door of the warehouse he'd been staying in. Vampires couldn't come out during the day, which meant he had at least another hour of daylight before he had to worry about anything. Unfortunately, he had to walk everywhere since there was no one around anymore to run the gas stations. At least not anyone he trusted. 

Some humans were allowed to resume their old jobs, depending on what they'd done before the takeover. Vampires didn't really _need_ cars, but they liked them, so the gas station workers were allowed to keep their jobs. But they weren't allowed to work in the day. And any person who had been captured was too scared to go against their _master_ , so Jared was on his own there. And it had been weeks since he'd seen a human who wasn't captured, so he wasn't holding his breath for that. Honestly, he was beginning to wonder if he was the only one left.

It took him about thirty minutes to get to the store. And another two minutes after that to pick the lock. Finally, he was inside, his stomach rumbling at the idea of food. Sighing, he shrugged out of his pack, opening it so he could start adding food to it. This store looked like it had been raided already, which meant he was going to have to find a new location for next time. 

He really hated it when that happened. The nearest supermarket from here was another ten miles. That would add another two and a half hours to his walk, which meant less frequent trips. But for now, this one was going to have to do. After all, he didn't have two and a half hours to walk to another supermarket. The sun was already setting pretty low in the sky, and any idiot with a brain knew that being out past dark was a _bad_ idea.

After gathering a few canned goods, some bottled water and all of the gummy candy left in the store, Jared was set. Pulling his backpack onto his shoulders once more, Jared started toward the door. Unfortunately, it was a lot later than he'd thought it was, and the sun had already set. The trip home was going to be a lot more dangerous than he'd anticipated. 

Almost as soon as he was outside, he felt like he was being watched. He waited a few moments, wondering if maybe his mind was just playing tricks on him. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Before he knew it, there were four vampires surrounding him. Standing to his full height, Jared braced himself, getting ready for a fight. If they wanted to take him, they weren't going to do it without resistance.

The first vampire attacked, Jared's fist flying and catching it on the jaw. When it stumbled back, confusion was clear on its face. Jared knew his way around a fight. After all, he'd spent over half of his life taking karate lessons. And when he'd gotten old enough, he'd insisted on taking kick boxing classes. And to top it off, he and his brother would always spar when they had some free time so that they were ready for anything. He was prepared for this. 

Again, a vampire attacked, Jared kicking out and sending it stumbling back as its friend came for him. Before the vampire got too close, Jared was able to get his wooden stake from his waistband, plunging it into the vampire's chest. It stumbled back a few steps, its hands pressed against the wound in its chest before it turned to dust. 

Anger caused the other vampires to get smarter. This time when they attacked, they moved in unison, one on each side of Jared as they reached for him. He managed to throw another punch that landed, and got another kick in to one of their guts before he was subdued. Silently, he wished that they would just kill him – he didn't want to live like a slave.

Roughly, the vampires shoved him to the ground, forcing him on his stomach. “Quit struggling!” he heard the woman above him yell as she restrained him. Just as roughly as he'd been thrown to the ground, the vampire yanked him to her feet, forcing him to walk. “Move!” the woman ordered, shoving Jared hard in the back. 

As they walked toward a brand new Corvette, Jared watched as the vampires ripped into his backpack, spilling the contents all over the road. With a snicker, they tossed the bag down, obviously deeming everything inside worthless. 

Once they were in the car, the vampire in the back seat with Jared allowed his eyes to rake over him. “I think we found a good one, guys,” he mused, pushing Jared's long bangs off his forehead. “He's pretty.” When Jared jerked away from him, he chuckled. “And feisty, too. I think the masters will be very pleased with what we're bringing them today. We may even get a little reward.” 

Another smile came to the vampire's lips as he leaned closer to Jared, breathing in his scent. “Mmm...I bet you taste delicious,” he complimented. “I'm going to take great pleasure in drinking from you, boy.” 

Without thinking, Jared threw his head forward, knocking against the vampire's with a sickening crack. Pain exploded through his head, but it was worth it to see the blood on the vampire's face as it gushed from his nose. He heard him yell, call him a dick, and flinched slightly when he lifted his hand, bracing himself for the blow that he was sure would follow.

“Hey!” the vampire driving the car yelled. “Don't touch him! You know their value goes down if they get to the mansion with bruises!” His eyes locked with Jared's in the rear view mirror, the vampires eyes narrowing. “And we want to get the highest amount for him. Especially since he _killed_ Travis.”

The rest of the car ride went on without incident. Jared stared out the window, trying to remember every turn they took to get to their destination – he was going to need to know where he was going when he finally escaped. After what seemed like hours, they finally pulled into a garage, killing the car's engine. 

Just as roughly as he'd been shoved into the car, the vampire who had been driving pulled him from it. He shoved Jared through a doorway that led into the main part of the mansion before they led him through the massive place. Finally, they stopped at a large door, the female vampire who had bound him quickly knocking on it.

A few moments passed before they were granted access. Again, he was roughly shoved through the door, causing him to fall to his knees. He felt the hard concrete rip his jeans and scrape at his skin, making him hiss in pain. At least it hadn't drawn blood – the would have been an issue in a room full of so many vampires. He counted four new additions along with the three standing behind him.

Instead of helping him to his feet, this time the vampire pressed his hand against Jared's shoulder, keeping him on kneeling. “My Lords,” the vampire greeted, bowing his head. “We've found a new addition. He's strong. A feisty one. He killed Travis.” There was venom in his voice when he said it, his fingers digging into Jared's shoulder just a little too roughly. “I think he will be picked up quickly, my Lords.”

All eyes landed on Jared as the vampires sitting in what looked like thrones spoke amongst themselves. He felt like he was being scrutinized, and he hated it. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the vampire sitting in the middle throne spoke. “Take him to the yard with the others. Please see the doorman to collect your money. We'll call for you again when he is chosen and discuss further payment.”

Again, Jared was pulled from his knees, only this time by another vampire. Roughly, he was all but dragged to a different part of the mansion. Once they reached the door, he shoved Jared through it before he turned and walked off. There, Jared was met by a woman – this time a human. “Please strip out of your clothes,” the woman instructed. When Jared didn't immediately move to do as he was told, the woman frowned slightly. “Don't make this harder on yourself, honey,” she whispered, her tone almost begging. Her eyes lifted then to a video camera, letting Jared know that they were watching everything.

Humiliated, Jared started stripping out of his clothes. Once he was completely naked, water started raining down on him. Cold water cascaded over his body, causing him to gasp in shock. His whole body tensed as his hands shot up in surrender. By the time the water finally turned off, he was shivering, his teeth practically chattering he was so cold.

Thankfully, the woman who he'd given his clothing to gave him a towel so he could dry off. She then handed Jared an over-sized, plain white T-shirt. It looked almost like a hospital gown, only without the whole back cut out. She then laid a folded pair of white hospital pants on top of the shirt. “This is what you'll wear until you're claimed,” the woman explained, taking the towel from Jared once he had the uniform.

After Jared was dressed in his new clothing, the woman led him to another room deeper into the mansion. “This is where you're going to be staying while you wait to be chosen,” the woman explained, pushing open another door to reveal a large room full of people. It reminded Jared of the cafeteria's he would see on movies that dealt with prisons. It was fitting – he felt like he was in prison right now. 

When the woman turned to leave, Jared grabbed her arm. “Wait,” he pleaded, not really sure what to expect here. He'd heard horror stories about what happened to the humans once they were caught. But that's all they were – just stories. No one really knew what went on behind these walls. No one had ever escaped once they'd been captured before. “At least tell me your name.” This was the first human he'd seen since he'd been here – the first person to show him any sort of kindness. He needed to at least thank her for that.

Her eyes wide, fear evident on her face, the woman shook Jared's hand free. Sadly, the woman shook her head, eyes falling to the floor once more. “I am no one,” she answered before she quickly hustled out of the room, the door falling closed behind her.

For a while, all Jared could do was stare after the woman. Was this his fate? Was that how he was going to wind up? If they kept him alive, would he become a mousy young man who didn't make eye contact and was afraid to speak? He had so many questions running through his head right now, it was making him dizzy.

Slowly, Jared turned his attention to the room full of people around him. The first thing he realized was that everyone in the room was wearing the same ugly, hospital grade looking clothing. The next thing he realized was that everyone seemed to be frightened. No one really made eye contact with anyone, and if he looked at someone, they would immediately look away. There were some people who seemed to be grouping together, leading Jared to believe that they were probably families who had been captured together.

The room was large, and almost filled to the brim with people. There were, of course, a few vampires standing off to the sides – guarding the humans, he was sure – but almost everyone in here had a pulse if their clothes were any indication. Actually, it made him both happy and sad. Happy because that meant there were still people alive – he wasn't the only one left. But it also made him sad because these people were all destined to become slaves to the vampires. And if they didn't follow their slave roles, they would be slaughtered. Including him.

Sighing, Jared moved toward one of the tables where there was an empty seat. As soon as he sat down, the girl at the table beside him stood and scurried away. His brows knit in confusion as he watched the girl walk away, Jared feeling a sense of dread washing over him. Clearly, he wasn't making any friends in here. So, like always, he was on his own.

**~~**

A few days passed with no incident. No one was talking _to_ him, but Jared had heard a few people talking _about_ him. The people in here were referring to him as _the vampire slayer_. And while he thought it was kind of amusing, he didn't really think it was warranted. He'd killed _one_ vampire. If he was a slayer, he wouldn't have been in here. He would have been able to take on more than one at a time.

Still, it had these people scared. It was like if they associated with him, it was going to get them in trouble. Jared hated it – it was lonely. Here he was, finally surrounded by people, but no one would give him a chance. 

Every day was the same here so far. They'd be woken up, fed, and forced into this cafeteria-like room. They weren't allowed to leave this room until the end of the evening when the vampires would usher them all back to their rooms to get some sleep. Jared had to share a room with three women and a man. They rotated who got the good beds, and it was doing nothing for Jared's aching muscles. 

Today though, something was up. Jared could tell by the way everyone was acting. “Hey, what's happening?” he asked one of the women he shared a room with. After all, they were the only people who would talk to him. And even when they did, it was few and far between. 

“It's claiming day,” the woman answered, eyes on the vampires walking into the room. Jared turned his attention to them as well, seeing that there were three new arrivals. After a while of just staring at the group, the vampires picked out five people – one of them being Jared. And although he didn't want to go anywhere with these vampires, he didn't have much choice when one of them grabbed his elbow and dragged him away from the crowd.

The humans who had been chosen were taken to another room, the door falling closed behind them as they waited. Jared noticed that everyone else in the room seemed to be calm – too calm. It was almost like they were eagerly awaiting the moment they were chosen. Jared, however, was the exact opposite. The last thing he wanted was to be claimed by one of these blood sucking freaks. 

When the door opened, everyone stood a little straighter, almost as if they were putting themselves on display. Jared glared at the new arrivals walking into the room, noticing that there were five of them. Five humans, and five vampires. If these people weren't so scared, Jared almost thought this might be a fair fight. But he knew better than to start anything. No one else would follow him, and he wasn't completely confident they would actually kill him for his rebellion. And in this place, there was probably much worse things than death.

Because he hadn't been paying attention, Jared didn't realize that a vampire had stopped in front of him. Only when he felt eyes on him did he finally turn his attention to his new admirer. Bright green eyes seemed to pierce through him as they stared him down, raking over his body. A smirk pulled at the corner of the man's full lips, causing a shiver to run down Jared's spine. 

Thankfully, the vampire was gone almost as soon as he'd come. He watched as the vampire spoke to the guards at the door before he disappeared into the hallway. The breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding escaped him in a rush as he turned his attention back to the other vampires in the room. They all seemed to be stopping at humans – choosing which ones they wanted, he could assume.

Before any other vampires left the room, Jared was grabbed and roughly led out of the room. “Put this on,” the vampire who had him ordered, not giving him time to react before a blindfold was placed over his eyes and tightly tied around his head. Now that he couldn't see, his heart rate kicked up a notch in his chest, causing his breathing to increase. 

A deep groan escaped him when the vampire yanked him against his body, breathing deeply. “You're nervous,” he chuckled. “You should be. You're going to one of our most _brutal_ masters. I think he's really going to have fun with you... _vampire slayer_.”

Still not being gentle in the slightest, the vampire all but dragged Jared up multiple flights of stairs and down a long hallway before he finally reached his destination. Jared heard a door creak open, causing him to jump slightly, his breaths panting out of him as his chest rose and fell with each one. He stumbled slightly when he was shoved into the room. When the door slammed behind him, he jumped once more, quickly removing the blindfold now that his hands were free.

The room he was in now was pitch black. He couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face. Closing his eyes, Jared took a few deep breaths, trying to get himself under control. When he opened his eyes, he felt a lot calmer. Slowly, his eyes began to adjust to the dark, allowing him to see more of the room. 

As quickly as he could, Jared moved toward the large window along the far wall. He smacked his knee against the bed frame in the process, causing him to grunt in pain. Dammit, that had hurt. But he wouldn't be deterred from his mission. Throwing open the black curtains, Jared tried to open the window. The moon light shone in the room, illuminating it so that he could see better. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, the window just wouldn't open.

“You can try all you want,” came a voice from behind him, causing Jared to jump as he turned his back on the window to see who was in the room with him. “It's not going to open. It's really just for decoration. That window has been bolted shut for centuries.”

When the lights flicked on, Jared closed his eyes against the sudden brightness, pressing his body closer to the window. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, watching the man who was in the room with him now. It was the same vampire that had been in the previous room with him – the one who had been staring at him like he was a slab of meat. Again, his breathing picked up, heart hammering in his chest. He hated not having a plan of attack. He had no idea what was going to happen here. For the first time since he'd been brought here, Jared was scared.

Slowly, the vampire stalked toward Jared, eying up the young man carefully. “My name is Jensen,” he greeted, green eyes locking on Jared's scared hazels. “Why don't you step away from that window? I'm not sure how sturdy it is. And if you break it, that's a six story drop.”

Jared jumped slightly when the vampire touched his arm, moving him away from the window and into the center of the room. It was like he was on display – he didn't like it. When Jensen asked what his name was, Jared bit into his bottom lip, not sure why they were having a conversation right now. All of the interactions he'd had with vampires so far had been nothing but violence. Vampires didn't want to chat – they wanted to cause mayhem and destruction. “Jared,” he finally answered, never taking his eyes off the vampire.

A wide smile came to his lips when he learned the younger man's name. “Jared,” he repeated, liking the way the name rolled off his tongue. “I like it.” His eyes raked over Jared's body once more, glaring at the clothing he was wearing. He really hated that damn regulation bullshit they made the humans wear. It did nothing to accentuate their bodies. “I'm your new master. You and I are going to be getting to know each other _very_ well over the next few days. But first, we have some business to take care of.”

 _New master_ – like that was going to happen. Jared didn't belong to anyone. And he sure as hell wasn't going to allow some vampire to try to claim ownership. He was stronger than that. He wasn't some scared little boy who didn't know how to handle himself – he'd killed Jensen's kind before. And he wasn't afraid to do it again.

Seeing that Jared had tensed up at the words, Jensen smiled. Jared would get used to it. He'd make sure of that. But, one thing at a time. He knew how the humans were forced to live in the yard – like filthy animals. This guy looked clean enough, but he wasn't about to take any chances. Eyes locking on Jared's defiant hazels once more, Jensen cocked his head to the side. A small smile came to his lips once more as he ordered, “Strip out of those regulation clothes they gave you. We should get started.”


	2. Chapter Two

_Strip out of those regulation clothes they gave you._ The words rang through his head like a mantra. His mind was reeling. These _regulation clothes_ as Jensen had called them, were the only things keeping Jared from being naked and exposed to this vampire. “No,” he answered, shaking his head as he pulled to his full height. He wasn't going to let Jensen boss him around. He was stronger than that.

Delighted by the defiance this human exhibited, Jensen smiled widely. “I wasn't asking,” he argued, taking a step closer to Jared. His smile widened when the younger man took a step back. Again, he closed the gap between the two of them, only to have Jared back up once more. When Jared's back was pressed against the wall, Jensen moved with inhuman speed, blocking Jared from trying to escape his position. “Take them off.”

Trapped against the wall, Jared still had fire left in him. “I said no,” he reminded, eyes locked on Jensen's, challenging him. He wasn't taking these clothes off. Not while Jensen was in this room. Not while he was staring at him like he _belonged_ to him. 

Smile darkening, becoming dangerous, Jensen pressed his hands on the wall on either side of Jared's head. He was so close now, he could smell him. He smelled amazing – even better than he had originally thought. Jared's breaths were panting out of him, leaving little hot _puffs_ against his black Henley. “Take them off...or I'll do it _for_ you,” he threatened.

There was no doubt in Jared's mind that Jensen was telling the truth. He hadn't known him for more than a few minutes, but he could already tell that when he didn't get his way, he _made_ things happen in his favor. “Fine,” he ground out, ducking under one of Jensen's arms so that he could put some space between the two of them. 

For a second, Jared thought about running. He knew it wouldn't get him far – he'd seen how quickly Jensen could move – but it would make him feel better. But, he refrained. Instead, he reached for the hem of the gown, pulling it over his head and tossing it onto the floor. He then stripped out of the pants, his face immediately heating with shame. Quickly, his hands moved to cup his groin, covering his body as well as he could, hazel glare locked on Jensen. “Are you happy now?” he demanded, jaw twitching defiantly. 

Not even bothering to hide the fact that he was staring, Jensen cocked his head to the side once more. “Very,” he assured the human, biting into his plush bottom lip. Pointing to the door at the back of the room, Jensen explained, “The bathroom is that way. You can shower. I'll have clothes set out for you to wear when you're finished.”

Thrown off guard by the sudden nice treatment, Jared frowned for a moment at Jensen. He didn't trust him for a minute. The vampire definitely had something up his sleeve. And Jared was going to find out what it was. 

When Jared didn't immediately move to do as he was told, Jensen frowned slightly. “Do you need me to show you how to do it?” Jensen teased, allowing his eyes to rake over Jared's form once more. Jared really was a vision. He was all hard and big in all the right places. Jensen was really going to enjoy their time together.

“No!” Jared quickly answered. “I can manage it myself.” He quickly realized that Jensen wasn't going to leave the room so he could have some privacy, so Jared turned on his heels, his hands moving from his crotch to his ass in an attempt to hide his assets from the vampire. Once he was in the bathroom, Jared slammed the door closed, pressing his back against the cool surface as he sighed. It felt good to have some privacy finally. Of course, the door didn't lock, but Jared would take what he could get at this point. 

When he turned on the water, steam immediately filled the room, causing relief to flood through Jared. At least he could finally have a hot shower. He wasn't in the yard for long, but he'd been there long enough to know that the showers were always cold, and the food was always terrible. Being able to have a hot shower was going to give him so much pleasure.

He couldn't help the way he groaned as the water washed over him. It just felt too good, and Jared wasn't in the market of censoring himself at the moment. His hands pressed against the shower wall, Jared's head falling forward as he allowed the hot water to beat against his aching muscles. He wasn't sure if he would have the pleasure of another shower any time soon, so he didn't want to waste this opportunity. 

It occurred to him that he really didn't know anything about what was going to happen to him in the upcoming weeks. He knew that he was going to spend every possible second trying to escape, but he had no idea what was going to happen to him in the meantime. Jensen was holding all of the cards, and Jared felt insecure and scared about that. But he couldn't let himself seem that way. Jared knew that he needed to continue to look like the confident, non-rattled human these people all saw him as. After all, he was the vampire slayer – he needed to look the part.

Right now though, Jared didn't want to think about any of that. He just wanted to enjoy his shower, and forget about the fact that he'd been grabbed by vampires and he was now _owned_ by one. Turning his head, Jared scanned the shower wall, noticing that there were many options for shampoos and body soaps. _This_ he could handle. One step at a time.

Jared decided on an apple scented shampoo, massaging the product into his scalp as he closed his eyes against the suds that were dripping down his forehead. His hair was longer now than it had been in the past – there really weren't any barbers around to cut his hair these days, but he did his best on his own. Still, having longer hair gave him something to focus on in the shower. 

After the shampoo was rinsed from his hair, Jared slicked some apple scented conditioner through it, knowing that not being able to wash it for so many days had probably put a hurting on it. But he wasn't going to complain about it. After all, what the hell did he have to look special for? Jensen? That would be the day.

While he waited for his conditioner to take effect, Jared washed the rest of his body. The shower wall didn't have an apple body wash, so Jared made due with coconut instead. He squirted a liberal amount onto the loofah that was in the shower and started washing every inch of himself. He'd been able to shower every day at the yard, but he'd been more focused on getting out of the freezing cold spray rather than making sure that he didn't miss a spot. Now that he had hot water, he could remedy that situation.

By the time he was finished washing his body, Jared's skin was a bright pink color. He felt one hundred times better now that he was clean. And honestly, he smelled a lot better too. Taking the time to rinse all of the conditioner from his hair, Jared merely stayed under the spray as long as he possibly could, even after all of the product was cleaned from his hair.

Only when the water was starting to get cold did Jared finally pull himself from the shower. There was a large, fluffy towel on the wall beside the shower, so Jared grabbed it and started drying himself off. Once he wasn't covered in droplets of water, Jared wrapped the towel around his waist, happy that he was leaving the bathroom in a more dressed state than he had walked in. 

As soon as the bathroom door opened, Jared felt a sense of dread washing over him once more. He couldn't hold off those thoughts of what was going to come of him much longer. It was staring him right in the face, and Jared couldn't ignore it. After all, he didn't think Jensen wanted to be his master so he could sit here and let Jared plot his escape all day. No, Jared knew Jensen had to have other plans. After all, Jared wasn't an idiot – he'd seen the way Jensen had been staring at him since he got into this room.

True to his word, Jensen had laid out clothes for Jared to wear. And honestly, Jared had to admit that he was pretty impressed with the clothing choice. He'd been expecting something crazy like leather pants and a tight black tank top, or something. Instead, Jensen had laid out a pair of dark denim jeans, a white T-shirt, and a flannel to go over it. He also had given Jared a pair of white socks and boots to wear as well. Overall, Jared wasn't really going to complain.

Quickly, Jared pulled on the white boxer briefs Jensen had given him. He didn't know where Jensen was, but he knew that he didn't want to have his body on display when the vampire came back to the room. He stepped into the blue jeans after, quickly fastening them before he pulled the T-shirt over his head. Just as he was buttoning the last couple of buttons, Jensen walked into the room, his eyes immediately finding Jared.

“You look good,” Jensen complimented as he closed the door behind himself. “Really good.” He couldn't help the way his body responded to Jared. He wanted to throw the young human on the bed and ravage him right here and now. But he knew that he couldn't. There was a lot to get done today, and he knew that if he got Jared onto that bed, _nothing_ else was getting done. “We should go,” Jensen suggested instead. “We have a lot to do today, Jared.”

When Jensen suggested that they go, Jared wanted to protest. He had a lot of questions, and he wanted answers. But he didn't. Instead, he followed Jensen out of the room, making sure to memorize every twist and turn they made. When he escaped, he was going to need to know the layout of the mansion. Especially since Jensen's room was apparently on the sixth floor. And while Jared had survived a lot in his lifetime, he was sure that he couldn't survive a six story drop.

It felt like they were walking around in circles as Jensen led him through the maze that was the mansion. Honestly, there was no way Jared was going to memorize this. And maybe that was Jensen's whole plan. After all, the vampire who brought him up to Jensen's room had kept him blindfolded. Apparently, Jensen was smarter than Jared was giving him credit for. 

After what seemed like forever, Jensen finally led Jared through a set of double doors that opened up into a small parlor. It reminded Jared of the tattoo shop he'd accompanied his best friend in high school to on the day they'd graduated. His friend had gotten this intricate piece, and the tattoo artist had tried to get Jared to “get some ink” as he'd called it, but Jared hadn't at the time.

Moving into the room further, Jared watched as Jensen greeted the man in the room. The interaction between the two men had the hair on Jared's neck standing up. Jensen slipped the man a piece of paper, and the man smiled at him before he nodded. 

Much too soon, everyone's attention was on Jared. He felt like he was going to be sick. When Jensen motioned for him to come closer, Jared shook his head. On instinct, he took a step away, but Jensen grabbed his elbow, forcing Jared to move closer to him. “What are you doing?” Jared asked, his heart hammering against his chest once more as Jensen forced him to sit in the chair in the middle of the room.

A wide smile came to Jensen's lips at Jared's question. “S'okay,” Jensen assured his human. “Just relax.” Gently, Jensen brushed his fingers along Jared's cheek, his smile widening when the other man in the room strapped Jared's wrists and ankles to the chair. “Just a precaution,” Jensen assured Jared when their eyes locked. “If you move too much, it could mess with the piece. And I want it to be perfect.” 

Before Jared had a chance to ask questions, the sound of a tattoo gun filled the room. “No,” Jared whimpered, shaking his head as he locked eyes with Jensen. “What are you doing?” he demanded once more. Anger bubbled up inside him when Jensen merely moved out of the way so the man could work on Jared. “Don't!” Jared argued, trying to break free from his bindings.

“Don't move,” Jensen hissed, one hand landing on Jared's right shoulder to keep him in place. Leaning in, Jensen continued, “I just told you that I want this to be perfect. If you mess it up, I'm not going to be happy.” Jensen was so close to Jared now that when he spoke, his lips brushed against the younger man's ear. “And trust me when I tell you Jared, you'll like me much better when I am happy.”

The tone in Jensen's voice had fear shooting through Jared's whole body. He hated it. He didn't want to be afraid of Jensen – he was stronger than his fear. But there was something about this vampire that made him quake. This vampire was dangerous – more dangerous than any Jared had encountered before – he could tell. So, Jared sat still, defiant hazel eyes locked on dark, moss green. 

Getting a tattoo hurt more than Jared thought it would. Numerous times, he thought he was going to crack, but he showed Jensen no signs of pain. If Jensen couldn't see it, he wouldn't know. And if he didn't know, he couldn't use it against Jared. After what seemed like a lifetime, the man was finally finished. The feeling of the cooling gel the man rubbed over Jared's new ink was soothing – Jared was grateful. The man then taped plastic over Jared's tattoo before he moved away to let Jensen admire his work. 

Another wide grin came to Jensen's lips as he stared at the mark on Jared's chest. It was a pentagram with rays like the sun coming from it. Jared wore it well. Pressing his fingers against the skin around the tattoo, Jensen bit into his bottom lip. “This is my brand,” Jensen explained, eyes moving to lock with Jared's. “Having this mark means you belong to me now. Anywhere you try to go, people know this mark, Jared. If you try to run from me, anyone who sees this mark will bring you back to your master.”

Bile rose in Jared's throat when Jensen explained that he'd branded him. He felt like he was going to be sick. Luckily, there was a silver lining. Any time he put a shirt on, this mark would be covered. So if he was fully clothed, no one had to know that he bore Jensen's mark. That was something at least.

They made their way back to Jensen's room once Jared's tattoo was completed, Jensen closing the door behind them once more. His eyes raked over Jared's body when he turned his attention back on the younger man. A wide smile split his features when his eyes landed on Jared's brand again. “That looks so good on you,” Jensen complimented, moving to close the gap between the two of them. His hands gripped Jared's hips when the young human tried to back away from him, a deep frown coming to his lips. “Stop it,” Jensen ordered when Jared tried to wiggle away from him. “You're going to have to get used to me touching you.”

Unable to help himself, Jared scoffed at Jensen's words. “I don't _have_ to do anything,” Jared assured the vampire. As soon as the words left his mouth, Jared knew he'd made a mistake. Jensen's hands tightened around him, and it looked like the vampire was holding back the urge to hurt him. Why, Jared wasn't sure, but he was grateful.

“I think you and I have to lay out some rules,” Jensen suggested, giving Jared a small shove so the backs of Jared's knees hit the bed and he fell onto the mattress. Instead of moving to crawl onto Jared like he wanted to, Jensen forced himself to stay where he was. “You have certain privileges being my human. First off, you can move about the mansion as you please. Now that you have my brand, everyone will know to keep their hands off you. But, if you're caught trying to escape, you lose that privilege. Understood?”

When Jared nodded, Jensen smiled. “Good. Moving on, you're not to entertain anyone other than me.” This was a big one for Jensen. The thought of Jared anywhere near another person – human or vampire – made Jensen want to scream. “If I catch you breaking this rule, I'll toss you to the masses where vampires do whatever they please to the unwanted slaves.”

Swallowing thickly, Jared asked, “What do you mean entertain?” He had an idea of what Jensen was referring to, but he almost didn't want to believe it. If he did, that meant he had to think about being with Jensen in a sexual manner, and that just _wasn't_ happening. No way. Jared wasn't going to be physical with a vampire. Not now, not ever!

Again, Jensen's signature smirk came to his lips. “Oh, I think you already know, Jared,” he assured the younger man. The blush that stole over Jared's features had Jensen suppressing a moan. He wanted this human – a lot. But they still had more rules to go over. Just one, really. “And finally, Jared, you will feed me – and _only_ me – as I see fit.”

Without thinking, Jared shook his head. “No,” he argued, pushing himself further up the bed and putting some distance between himself and Jensen. Once he had some space, Jared climbed off the bed, ready for a fight if it came down to it. “Not happening. I'm not _feeding_ you.” Since the vampires revealed themselves, Jared had avoided them. He'd never allowed vampires to drink from him like other humans had, and he wasn't about to start now. No vampire had ever tasted him, and he wasn't about to let Jensen be the first.

Anger bubbled up inside Jensen's chest when Jared argued with him. Sure, the defiance was cute for a little while, but this was not the time. “No?” Jensen asked, stalking closer to Jared. “That wasn't a request, Jared. You don't have a choice.” His arm shot out when Jared tried to back away from him, stopping the younger man in his tracks when his fingers curled around Jared's upper arm. “In case this hasn't sunken in yet, you belong to me now. If I want _anything_ from you Jared, you can't deny me. That's not an option that you have the privilege of having. Anything I want from you, I will take. Anytime I want to.”

He could feel the bruises already forming where Jensen was holding him, but Jared fought the grip anyway. “You're insane if you think I'm going to allow that to happen,” Jared argued once more. “I've never had a vampire drink from me, and I'm not going to start now.” Jared gasped softly when Jensen shook him and ordered him to stop struggling again. “No!” Jared argued still. “I won't do it. And if you wanna throw me to the masses, or whatever, then go right ahead! My answer is still no!”

Sure, the thought of being thrown to the masses was kind of scary, too. The way Jensen had described it, vampires did as they pleased to humans there. And that could mean that one would drink from him, but Jared would make sure that if that happened, the vampire would kill him. Jensen was talking about using him as a human blood bag – that wasn't happening.

Now, Jensen was getting really angry. “Okay,” he breathed, jerking Jared after him as he started walking toward the door. “Have it your way then.” Jensen dragged Jared out of the room and down two flights of stairs before he turned off toward another corridor that Jared hadn't been to yet. Jared's defiance was on Jensen's last nerve right now, so he was going to give Jared some time to change his tone. 

Once they entered the dungeon-like room, Jensen shoved Jared into a small cement room. There was no light and it was barely big enough to hold Jared if Jensen was being honest. It was probably torture making the young man stay in here, but Jensen didn't care at the moment. Without a word, Jensen slammed the door shut, leaving Jared alone in the small box.


	3. Chapter Three

Jared wasn't sure how much time had passed since Jensen had thrown him in this little room. All he knew was that he got fed, and he had a bucket he could go to the bathroom in. Time meant nothing in the dark room – he couldn't even try to gauge how much time passed by his meals because every meal came at different intervals. On the plus side, Jared was able to catch up on his sleep in here. And he didn't have to worry about vampires trying to bite him or touch him. Honestly, he kind of liked being alone in here.

After God only knew how long, the door finally creaked open, Jared squeezing his eyes tightly closed against the light that flooded into the small room all of a sudden. Blinking against the pain, Jared's eyes finally focused on Jensen. Great – he was back. Jared pushed himself into the far wall when Jensen knelt down in front of him, trying to prevent Jensen from touching him.

“Have you had enough?” Jensen asked, smiling at the younger man. Jared looked awful. He was filthy, and he looked like he was already starting to lose his muscle mass. It had only been a week, but Jensen was starting to regret his decision to keep Jared in there. But he'd had some important business to take care of, and he was sure that Jared wasn't trained enough to do as he was told quite yet. There had been no way Jensen was leaving him alone so soon.

Frowning deeply at Jensen, Jared knit in his brows. “How long have I been in here?” Jared asked, not allowing his eyes to leave Jensen. If this vampire was going to try anything, Jared wanted to be ready. Not that he could do much about it, though. Even when he hadn't been shoved in here for how long it wouldn't have been a fair fight. Now, Jared was weak and his muscles were all achy from lack of use. Honestly, he wasn't even sure he'd be able to stand without help right now.

Head cocked to the side, Jensen watched Jared. “A week,” he answered, watching as Jared tried to hide his shocked expression. He could tell that Jared was keeping himself pressed as far away from him as he could, but Jensen wasn't going to think too much about it. After all, he just got back – he hadn't even had a chance to get to know Jared yet. Once Jared actually let his walls down and got to know him, Jensen knew that he'd like him. “Do you wanna get out of there?”

Although Jared didn't want to admit that he wanted anything from Jensen, he did want to get out of here. “Yes,” Jared answered, his voice small. His jaw ticked slightly when Jensen extended his hand to help him. Reluctantly, Jared took Jensen's hand, allowing the vampire to help him out of the small prison he'd been in for the last week. He couldn't suppress the groan that escaped him when his aching muscles finally had a chance to stretch. It felt both good and bad at the same time.

Honestly, Jensen felt a little bad that he'd put Jared in that place. But it was done now – no use crying over spilled milk. “You okay?” Jensen asked, rubbing Jared's limbs to help the blood flow a little better. Of course, Jared jerked away from him, which didn't surprise Jensen. “You need a shower. Let's go.”

As Jared followed Jensen back to the top floor of the mansion, he didn't speak. He didn't know what Jensen was playing at, but Jared wasn't interested in being a part of it, whatever it was. Jared was wondering if Jensen thought being nice to him would make Jared more inclined to feed him. If that was the case, the vampire was sadly mistaken. Jared still had no desire to be a human happy meal for Jensen. And if that meant he had to be locked up in that room for the rest of his life, Jared would choose that. 

Once they were back in Jensen's room, Jared starting moving toward the shower. He stopped when Jensen touched his arm, the young man looking down at the vampire's fingers against his skin. “You don't have to feed me right now, Jared,” Jensen explained, causing bile to rise in Jared's throat once more. “But eventually, I will know what your blood tastes like.” Jared thought that was laughable. That would be the day.

Without a word, Jared shrugged Jensen off of him and headed to the bathroom. He closed the door behind himself, thinking for a brief moment that he should lock it. But what was the point? If Jensen wanted in here, he'd just break the door. Sighing, Jared stripped out of his clothes, glancing at himself in the mirror. He looked terrible – his eyes were all bloodshot and he had dirt covering over half of his body. 

Sighing, Jared climbed into the shower, turning the water on as hot as he could stand it. Every time he was around Jensen, Jared felt dirty. The way the vampire looked at him made his whole body itch. Maybe it was because Jensen had made it very clear that he wanted to drink from him – Jared wasn't sure what it was. But the vampire was like walking sex, and it made Jared feel uncomfortable. Why Jensen had wanted to have him as his _pet_ was way beyond Jared. Honestly, he wished he would have gotten a troll to be his _master_. 

Only when the water was starting to get cold did Jared step out of the shower. Sighing, he wrapped the towel around himself, figuring Jensen would have clothes laying out for him just like the last time he'd been allowed to shower. When he opened the door, he didn't see clothes, but he did see Jensen sitting on the bed. It was almost like the vampire was waiting for him. 

As soon as Jared was out of the bathroom, Jensen's eyes were locked on him. He couldn't help it – Jared was just so perfect. And the fact the Jensen could see his brand on him made Jared even hotter. “C'mere,” Jensen instructed, seeing the war waging in the younger man's head. Jensen was pleased when Jared made the right decision and walked over to the bed. “Sit down.” Again, Jared did as he was told. Jensen liked it.

Gently, Jensen pressed his fingers against Jared's hair, tucking the wet strands behind the younger man's ear. “Talk to me,” Jensen instructed softly, not missing the way Jared's body shivered at his touch. When Jared asked what he wanted to talk about, Jensen shrugged. “Anything,” he answered. “I wanna know you. Tell me about your life. What do you like? What're your hobbies?”

A deep frown came to Jared's lips when Jensen asked him about his life. He still had no idea what Jensen was playing at, and he still wasn't the least bit interested in playing whatever game Jensen was trying to coax him into. “Really?” Jared asked, slanted hazel eyes locked on Jensen's as he scoffed. “You wanna know me?”

“Of course I do,” Jensen assured his human. “Why wouldn't I? You're mine.” Scooting a bit closer, Jensen teased the edges of Jared's tattoo with his fingertips. “I want to know everything there is to know about you.”

When Jensen touched him, Jared flinched back, trying to put distance between the two of them. He didn't want to be so close to Jensen. He'd seen how fast vampires could move, and if he was this close, Jensen could attack Jared before he even had a chance to defend himself. Jared wanted to be ready for anything. “Um...I don't...there's not much to tell,” Jared assured him. “I haven't had hobbies since this whole thing started. Just...staying alive.”

Jensen frowned when Jared flinched away from him. Jared was really going to have to get over that. Again, Jensen closed the gap between them, this time pressing his palm flat against Jared's tattoo. “You don't have to worry about that now,” he promised. Jensen could feel Jared's heart hammering against his chest. Smell the blood pumping through his veins. He wanted him. 

Fear washed through Jared when Jensen sat closer to him. Jared was frozen – if he moved, he'd lose the towel around his waist and expose himself to Jensen, which wasn't going to happen. He didn't necessarily believe that he didn't have to worry about fighting to stay alive now. After all, he was in the same room as a vampire who'd made it very clear to him that he was meant to be a blood bag. Still, there was something about the way Jensen was looking at him right now that made Jared almost believe him. _Almost_. 

Tongue darting out to wet his suddenly too dry lips, Jared explained, “I like kickboxing. Before this happened, I had classes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And on Tuesdays and Thursdays I would go to martial arts. Saturdays were cardio and weights. And Sundays were rest days. Those were my hobbies before this started.”

Any idiot could tell that Jared worked out. Jensen liked it. “You know, there is a rec room in the mansion,” Jensen explained. “I can show you where it is. You can go there any time you want to.” His hand against Jared slid over toward the younger man's arm, closing around his bicep. “I wouldn't want you to lose this muscles that you worked so hard for, Jared.”

Jared's breath hitched in his throat when Jensen gripped his arm. He still had no idea why Jensen was being so nice to him. Honestly, it was a little scary. Jensen being nice more than likely meant that he wanted something. And looking at the vampire, it wasn't hard to figure out what he potentially wanted. One of two things Jared was sure – blood or sex. Neither of which Jared was willing to give. Would Jensen take them if he wanted them? He wouldn't – he couldn't. 

But Jared didn't want to think about that right now. He was tired. “I-I'm tired,” Jared explained, swallowing thickly. “Can I just...go to bed?” When Jensen nodded, Jared bit into his bottom lip, eyes scanning the room. “Where am I supposed to sleep?”

Another wide smile came to Jensen's lips when Jared asked where he was supposed to sleep. “The bed,” Jensen answered, head cocked to the side as he watched Jared's reaction. He barely suppressed the laugh that wanted to leave him when Jared asked where Jensen planned on sleeping. “The bed,” he repeated, biting into his bottom lip as his eyes raked over Jared once more. Damn, the kid was fucking sexy.

The last thing Jared wanted was to sleep in this bed with Jensen. Especially if the vampire wasn't planning on giving him anything to sleep in. “Look, I've had a long day,” Jared argued. “I'm not like you. I'm alive. I need to sleep. I'm not in the mood for games.” 

Hands up as if he was surrendering, Jensen shook his head. “I'm not playing any games,” he promised. “I just figured the bed would be more comfortable than the floor. I mean, you're more than welcome to sleep on the floor if you want to.”

For a minute, Jared actually considered sleeping on the floor. But he knew that wouldn't save him even if he did. If Jensen wanted to do something to him, it wouldn't much matter if Jared was on a bed or the floor. And it wasn't like Jensen was going to let him sleep in a completely different room, he was sure. So, there was no use jacking up his back if it wasn't going to make a difference. 

There was one thing that Jared was going to insist on, however. “Are you going to give me clothes to sleep in?” he asked, jaw set in a defiant line to let Jensen know he wasn't about to debate about this. He'd stay up all night if he had to. Sure, his body would hate him in the morning, but it would be worth it. 

Although the last thing Jensen wanted to do was give Jared tools to cover up that beautiful body, Jensen knew that Jared was going to give him a hard time about being naked. “I don't want to,” Jensen admitted, eyes raking over Jared once more. “But I know you're going to be a bitch if I don't.” Pushing himself off the bed, Jensen headed to the large dresser.

After pulling out a pair of white boxer briefs and some plaid lounge pants, Jensen offered them to Jared. “These should be your size,” he promised. It took everything in him not to laugh when Jared asked if he was going to give him some privacy. “I hadn't planned on it,” he answered with a shake of his head. “Just put your clothes on before I change my mind.”

Anger bubbled up inside Jared when Jensen refused to give him space to get dressed. Sighing, Jared pulled his underwear on under the towel so he didn't have to expose himself to Jensen. He then tossed the towel at the vampire – he hated it that Jensen caught it instead of the towel hitting him in the face – before he yanked on the pajama bottoms. They did fit really well. And they were comfortable, which was nice. 

Now that he was fully dressed, Jared moved to the bed once more. Sighing, he climbed under the blankets, hating the fact that it was so damn comfortable. Then again, he didn't expect much less from Jensen. He seemed like he was a snob. 

His whole body tensed when he felt the bed dip beside him. His back caught a chill as the blankets were lifted to accommodate another person. Quickly, Jared curled himself into the smallest ball he could manage, trying to escape touching Jensen. Feeling Jensen's leg brush against his, Jared turned so that he was facing the vampire. “Don't touch me,” he ordered, glaring at Jensen before he rolled onto his side away from him once more.

Jensen had to fight every instinct in his body not to touch Jared. Rolling his eyes, Jensen rolled onto his back, hands moving to shove behind his head. It didn't take long for Jared to fall asleep. Jensen could immediately tell in the way Jared's heart slowed down and his breathing evened out – he was in a deep sleep. 

Slowly, Jensen rolled over onto his side, one hand propped under his head as he stared down at Jared. A small groan escaped Jared as he rolled onto his back, giving Jensen a better view of his face. The kid was gorgeous while he slept. He looked so peaceful – he wasn't glaring at Jensen like he did when he was awake. Jensen preferred this look on Jared.

He didn't know how he was going to make Jared see that he was his best option now. With the world the way it was these days, Jensen was Jared's saving grace. Pushing Jared's long bangs out of his eyes, Jensen whispered, “Why do you hate me? Don't you see I'm the only thing keeping you safe right now? Without me, you've got nothing baby. Just the masses to look forward to. Or some other vampire who thinks you're pretty. And they won't treat you like I do, Jay – not even close.”

The thought of Jared with another vampire had Jensen's eyes darkening. That was _never_ going to happen. Jared was _his_! Jared would always be his! “I've been watching you for a long time, Jared,” Jensen admitted. “Ever since your brother was taken. I wanted to get you then, but you weren't ready. You needed to be on your own for a little while before I brought you here. I was making you stronger.”

Shrugging, Jensen added, “Besides, you were grieving then. You wouldn't have been as much fun.” Sighing, Jensen rolled his eyes. “Not that you're being very fun now. You're so... _defiant_. You won't let me touch you without losing your mind.” Gently, Jensen tucked a piece of Jared's hair behind his ear, leaning in closer to the younger man. “You have to get over that. I don't know how much longer I can resist being with you. And I don't want to force you. But you've gotta give me a break here.”

His eyes slid over Jared's exposed skin, stopping briefly to admire Jared's new tattoo. “You don't even know how gorgeous you are, do you?” If he did, Jared never let on. From what Jensen could tell, Jared was modest. And he basically stuck to himself. Jensen wanted Jared to start sticking to him, dammit. His fingers itched to touch the smooth expanse of Jared's tanned skin. “I just wanna be with you, Jay. What can I do to make you want it, too?”

Of course, Jensen knew he wasn't going to get an answer. After all, Jared was still in a deep sleep. And Jensen could only imagine Jared's answer if he was awake – he'd make some snarky comment about wanting nothing to do with Jensen in that way. But he would – eventually, Jared would want him too. Jensen just wasn't sure how much longer he could wait for Jared to realize it. 

And he wasn't sure how many more blood bags he could choke down before he just snapped. Sure, there were human donors, but Jensen just felt wrong drinking from them now. There was only one human he wanted to drink from. Unfortunately for him, Jared seemed like he'd rather die than let Jensen have a taste.

That just wasn't going to do. Something was going to have to be done about that.


	4. Chapter Four

A few weeks had passed since Jared had been picked out by Jensen. Nothing too exciting had happened – not that Jared was complaining. So far, things were quiet. Jensen hadn't tried to touch him inappropriately and he hadn't tried to force Jared to let him drink from him either. All in all, Jared was calling this little arrangement they had going pretty decent. After all, it was nice to be able to go wherever he wanted to, pretty much whenever he wanted to.

Like right now. Jared was spending his free time in the rec room Jensen had told him about. Jensen was off on “official vampire business” – whatever the hell that meant – so Jared was all alone. Sure, he could have run, but where was he going to go? He'd spent the last few weeks researching this place, and it was like a fortress. As of right now, Jared wasn't willing to chance it. Besides, he was working on trying to get Jensen to trust him before he tried to make a break for it.

So, he was working out instead. Today was Wednesday, so he was focusing more on kickboxing than anything else. There was a pretty decent area to work in, and Jared had a routine down. He'd done it so many times before that he didn't even need an instructor to get through it now. Four circuits, five moves, each move thirty seconds, and you repeat the moves two times each circuit. By the end of the workout, Jared would be dripping with sweat, and his muscles would be aching so good.

Because he was so engrossed in his workout, Jared didn't realize that there was someone else in the rec room with him. And he certainly didn't realize that this person was watching him. About halfway through his workout, Jared jumped when a hand landed on the punching bag he was going to town on. Quickly, Jared stumbled backward, trying to put distance between himself and this new arrival. 

His skin practically started crawling as the man's eyes raked over him, obviously checking Jared out. The man's eyes grew darker as he moved in front of the punching bag, trying to close the gap between himself and Jared. “You have some really nice moves,” the new arrival complimented, eyes flashing silver as he shamelessly looked over Jared once more. That was a telltale sign – this man was a vampire.

“Thanks,” Jared mumbled, continuing to slowly make his way backward to the door. The closer he got to the door, the safer he felt. Sure, he didn't think this vampire would touch him – not when Jensen's brand was clearly visible right now since Jared had been working out without his shirt on. But, vampires were tricky beings. Who was to say that a little tattoo was going to protect him? And why he was hoping that a tattoo was going to keep him safe was way beyond him.

It was clear that Jared was trying to get away from him, so the vampire stopped trying to close the gap between them. Maybe if Jared felt less threatened, he wouldn't try to leave. After all, they'd just met. “My name is Mark,” the vampire explained, smiling at the young human. “I'm a friend of Jensen's. He told me that you were going to be around here. I figured that I'd come say hello. I mean, if you're with Jensen, it's likely you and I are going to be seeing each other a lot.”

Jensen's friend? Jared wasn't sure that Jensen had friends. “Oh,” he muttered instead, not wanting to let this vampire know that he wasn't buying his story. “It's nice to meet you then, I guess.” Yeah, that's the last thing Jared needed – another vampire on his case. Jensen was more than enough to handle. Jared really didn't want another one. 

But would Jensen do that? Would he tell another vampire that Jared was going to be around? Surely Jensen knew better than to trust other vampires around humans. After all, Jared had heard the horror stories about vampires going off the rails and not being able to control themselves. Honestly, Jared was surprised Jensen even let him out of the room. 

Not that he wasn't grateful. Jared was sure that he would go stir crazy if Jensen forced him to stay in that room all day every day. But he didn't think Jensen would tell other vampires he was here. Out an about like he was. Especially when Jensen wasn't even in the mansion. That was opening Jared up to be attacked. Surely Jensen didn't trust that his stupid tattoo was going to keep Jared safe from another vampire.

Another wide smile came to Mark's lips as he started moving toward Jared once more. “You know, you really are pretty good,” Mark complimented once more. “You and I should spar sometime.” He'd heard about this particular human. He was known as the vampire slayer amongst other humans. Even some vampires were afraid of him. But Mark wasn't – he was more intrigued by him. And he wanted to get to know a little more about this guy. After all, anyone who could catch Jensen's Ackles' eye was someone Mark wanted to get to know.

The last thing Jared wanted to do was spar with a vampire. He didn't want to spend any sort of unnecessary time with a vampire. Hell, he didn't even want to spend the time he was being forced to spend with the vampire now. It was bad enough he couldn't get away from Jensen. Now this guy wanted him to spare more time for the undead? Jared didn't think so.

Of course, he couldn't just come out and say it like that. He was fairly certain that would be frowned upon. And he didn't want to piss this vampire off. Not when Jared wasn't armed and he was trapped in a room with him. He had to think fast. “Um...yeah, I-I don't think so,” Jared answered with a small shake of his head. 

When Jared turned him down, Mark frowned. “Why not, Jared?” Mark asked, moving to close the gap between them a bit more. “I could help you improve. I mean, it's always nice to have a partner when doing kickboxing, right? To hone your technique. Being with a house full of vampires, don't you think that might be something you're interested in?”

Yes, Jared was interested in improving his technique. But he sure as hell wasn't interested in doing so with a vampire. Besides, he was pretty sure Jensen would frown upon him spending time with other people – especially vampires. Not that Jared cared what Jensen liked. He didn't. Not at all. He wasn't taking Mark up on his offer because he didn't want to spend time with him. He _hated_ vampires. Especially ones that looked at him the way Mark was looking at him right now.

“Look, I appreciate the offer,” Jared assured the vampire with a curt nod. “But I'm really not interested. I'm not looking to get better, honestly. I just do this for fun. It's not like I'm trying to fight anyone.” There, that should get Mark off his case. At least Jared hoped. Because he was running out of space to back up. And the last thing he needed was to be pinned against a wall here with this vampire.

Mark cocked his head to the side when Jared told him that he wasn't looking to fight anyone. Now that couldn't be true. “C'mon Jared,” Mark argued. “I know who you are. They call you the vampire slayer. Don't tell me you're not interested in fighting anyone.” Almost closing the gap between himself and the human, Mark added, “People like you don't fair too well in here.”

Anger mixed with fear inside Jared as he once again took a step back. He wasn't interested, dammit. “I said no,” Jared reiterated. “Can you please just leave me alone to finish my workout?” He knew that he was being kind of a dick, but he wasn't sure how many more times he could turn this guy down. He wasn't interested in getting to know him – Jared didn't care that he was Jensen's friend. Honestly, he was making Jared feel very uncomfortable. 

A small frown came to Mark's lips when Jared asked him to leave him alone. This human was pretty ballsy if he was being honest. No other humans had the guts to speak to a vampire like this. Or maybe Jared was just stupid. Either way, Mark wanted to take pleasure in taming him. Again, he followed when Jared took another step back, a malicious smirk on his lips.

The vampire just kept coming. Jared didn't know how much more space he had before he collided with the wall, but he knew it couldn't be much. This time, when Jared stepped back, he collided with something hard, causing him to jump slightly. By the feel of it against his back, Jared knew it wasn't a wall. It was a person – Jared could feel the smooth fabric of a shirt behind him.

Again, Jared jumped when a hand landed on his waist, the new arrival tugging him against his body closer. Fear-filled hazel eyes landed on the person next to him, Jared finally releasing the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Jensen – it was just Jensen. And no, Jared wasn't under some false misconception that he was safe just because Jensen was here.

“What's going on here?” Jensen asked, eyes ticking from Jared to Mark and back. He could tell Jared was freaked out, but he didn't know if it was because Mark was giving him a hard time, or if it was because Jared had been caught doing something he shouldn't be. Judging by the way Jared initially relaxed against Jensen, he was assuming it was the former. Not that it surprised him – Mark was a skeevy little shit.

Grinning widely, Mark backed up away from Jared a few feet. “Nothing,” he assured the older vampire. “Jared and I were just chatting. I saw him in here doing some kickboxing and I thought it might be a good idea for us to spar sometime. You know, pass the time when you're gone.” Punching Jensen playfully in the arm, Mark added, “I figured I'd keep him in shape for you, man.”

When Mark touched him, Jensen glared at the other vampire. “Trust me when I tell you Mark, Jared doesn't need your help staying in shape,” Jensen warned. Tugging Jared a bit closer against his side, Jensen locked eyes with the younger man. Of course, Jared was glaring at him, but he didn't care. He'd hold on to Jared all day if he had to. “That's what he has me for.” 

Turning his attention back to Mark, Jensen shot him another glare that promised death if he fucked with his man again. “I'd love to stay and chat, but Jared and I have important things to attend to now that I'm back.” Without another word, Jensen all but dragged Jared out of the rec room with him.

Although Jared wanted to protest, he kept his mouth shut. He hadn't even been able to finish his workout, dammit! And Jensen was acting like he was pissed off. Why?! It wasn't Jared's fault that one of Jensen's creepy friends wouldn't leave him alone! Jared had tried to get him to back off, but apparently the guy was dumb because he couldn't get the picture.

Well, he couldn't get the picture until Jensen walked in the room. And Jared hated that. He didn't want to rely on Jensen for protection. Jared was a grown man, dammit! He should be able to protect himself. But he was a human in a sea of vampires – he was vulnerable. And he hated it. But what he hated more was the fact that Jensen seemed like he was pissed off at him – and that made Jared feel things he _really_ didn't want to feel.

Once they were in Jensen's room, Jensen slammed the door closed, shutting out the rest of the mansion. He was fuming. He'd been gone for three days and he'd done nothing but think about Jared. And then he'd come home to find Jared talking to another vampire. What the hell?! Other vampires were good enough for Jared, but Jensen wasn't?! “What were you doing?” Jensen asked, turning his attention to Jared.

Jared could tell that Jensen was pissed. He didn't know why. He hadn't been doing anything wrong! “What was I doing?” Jared asked. “I was just working out. Your stupid friend came out of nowhere and started harassing me! He wouldn't take no for a fucking answer! I told him multiple times that I wasn't interested in his help and he kept trying to get me to say yes!”

Of course Mark was trying to get Jared to say yes. Anyone with eyes would want to spend more time with Jared! And that's why Jensen was pissed off. He wasn't mad at Jared, per se. He was just mad. The thought of other people entertaining the idea of being with Jared pissed him off. And when he was mad, he wasn't any fun to be around. 

Roughly, Jensen pressed his palm against Jared's tattoo, watching as the younger man's face twisted into a look of pain. “You're _mine_!” Jensen reminded, following Jared when he stumbled back from the force of Jensen's touch. “I have three rules, Jared. All I ask is that you don't break them!”

Anger bubbled up inside Jared at Jensen's harsh treatment. He hadn't even done anything to deserve it. Angrily, Jared pressed his palms flat against Jensen's chest, shoving the vampire away from him. “I didn't break any of your _precious_ rules!” Jared argued. “You said that I could walk around the mansion as I pleased! So, I did! I went to rec room and I was trying to enjoy my workout in peace! And then your stupid friend came over and wouldn't leave me alone!”

The fact that Jensen thought he was trying to break his rules was laughable. Jensen of all people should know that Jared wanted nothing to do with vampires. “Do you honestly think that I would _willingly_ spend time with vampires?!” Scoffing, Jared shook his head. “You should know better. You know that I wouldn't do that, Jensen! I _hate_ vampires!”

It was harsh, but Jared had to get it out there. Sure, he knew that Jensen was a vampire, but he wasn't going to sugar coat this. Especially when Jensen was standing here accusing him of breaking rules that he hadn't broken. _None_ of what happened in the rec room had been Jared's fault. He'd been trying to get away from Nick. “I've done everything you asked me to do. You laid down the rules, and I've been following them. What else do you want from me, Jensen?!”

When Jared pushed him away, Jensen saw red. He didn't understand what else Jared wanted from _him_! He'd done nothing but be nice to Jared since he'd gotten here. Jensen was a better master than any other vampire that could have grabbed him. And all Jensen asked was that Jared respect his wishes! And yeah, Mark had been the culprit in this instance, but Jared wasn't much better!

Hearing Jared express his hatred for vampires had Jensen's undead heart restricting. Sure, he knew that Jared wasn't a fan, but to hear Jared say that he hated vampires – hated _him_ – had something snapping inside Jensen. 

Why the hell was Jensen trying so hard to be nice to Jared when he was acting like a little brat? It had been weeks since Jensen had saved Jared from the yard, and he was still acting like the self-righteous little human he'd been when Jensen picked him up. The last few weeks had been great as far as Jensen was concerned. He'd actually thought that he and Jared were making progress.

But apparently, it had all been a lie. A fluffy little dreamworld that Jensen had created for himself to shield himself from the pain of the truth. Jared hated him. And he was never going to change his mind about that. So why did Jensen even bother? Maybe he should just take what he wanted from Jared and not worry about the younger man's feelings. That's what anyone else would do.

A low growl escaped Jensen as he turned his attention to Jared once more. “You _haven't_ done everything I asked you to do,” he assured the younger man, stalking toward Jared – circling him like he was prey. “You haven't even come close to holding up your end of the deal, Jared.”

Fear crept into Jared's bones as he watched Jensen move toward him. Jensen had that same look he'd been wearing in the rec room while he'd glared at Mark. It was much scarier now that it was directed at Jared. Slowly, Jared started backing away from Jensen. He didn't know what to expect, but from the way Jensen was looking at him, he could only imagine that it wasn't good. “What are you doing, Jensen?” Jared asked, chest rising and falling as he waited for the vampire to make a move.

“You haven't fulfilled your end of the bargain, Jared,” Jensen explained once more. He could smell the fear radiating off of Jared – it turned the animal inside him on. Baring his teeth for Jared to see, Jensen allowed his fangs to elongate. “Pretty sure part of our deal is for you to keep me fed, Jared.”

Jared's eyes widened as he stared at Jensen's fangs. No – this wasn't happening right now. “No, Jensen, don't, please?” Jared tried to placate. His arm shot out in front of him, hand held palm flat in an attempt to stop Jensen. “Please, Jensen, don't do this. You can't. Please?!”

Ignoring Jared's pleas, Jensen lunged forward, shoving Jared against the wall as he attacked.


	5. Chapter Five

Jared didn't know what to do. It was like he was watching everything unfold outside of his body and he had no idea what was happening. He was powerless to stop what Jensen planned on doing, and Jared was scared. He needed to snap out of it. He needed to fight back. The last thing he wanted was for Jensen to feed off him, and Jared needed to make that clear.

Without thinking, Jared threw a punch. Much to his surprise, his fist landed with Jensen's temple. Unfortunately, it was like it didn't even phase Jensen at all. Again, Jared threw a punch, this time getting a solid hit to Jensen's ribs. When he went to throw a third, Jensen grabbed his wrist, stopping the blow. Using his other hand, Jared threw one more only have that stopped as well. Now, with both wrists caught in Jensen's hands, the vampire once again had the upper hand.

Before Jared knew what was happening, Jensen had him pinned to the wall, his fangs bared. This was it. Jared had no options left – he was about to be Jensen's blood bag. “Jensen, don't!” Jared yelled, figuring he'd give this a shot. After all, Jensen had been nice to him the last few days, so maybe there was a heart buried somewhere in there. “Please? Don't do this. I don't want this!” 

Squeezing his eyes closed, Jared tried his best to scrunch up his shoulders, making it as hard on Jensen as possible. “If you do this to me, I'll never forgive you,” Jared warned. He felt Jensen's grip on his wrists falter, leading Jared to believe that talking to Jensen was working. Slowly, Jared blinked his eyes open, champagne hazel eyes locking on Jensen's dark greens. “If you don't let me go, I'll hate you forever.”

When Jared told him that he'd hate him forever, it was like the fog was lifted. Jensen hadn't been thinking. He'd been so pissed off that Jared was talking to Mark, and he'd let himself lose control. But now, he knew exactly what was going on. Quickly, Jensen pulled back, breaths panting out of him as his fangs retracted. 

His whole body was shaking. Slowly, Jensen's eyes snapped up from the ground, locking with Jared's once more. He didn't know what to say. What _could_ he say – there wasn't anything that was going to make this okay. Without a word, Jensen turned on his heels, fleeing from the room with vampire speed. He needed to clear his head. And he was sure Jared needed some space. 

As soon as Jensen was gone, Jared slumped against the wall, relief washing over him. He was safe. Jensen was gone, and he wasn't going to be a blood bag today. But more importantly, Jensen had _listened_ to him. He didn't know how to process this. He wasn't in his right mind. His whole body was shaking, and he didn't know what to feel. Jared was still kind of scared. After all, what was stopping Jensen from coming back? Absolutely nothing – that's what.

Still in a state of shock, Jared quickly headed to the bathroom, closing the door behind himself. Although he knew it wouldn't do a damn thing to prevent Jensen from joining him, Jared locked the door, liking the false sense of security it gave him. Sighing, Jared stripped out of his clothes after setting the shower water as hot as he could possibly stand it. Maybe a hot shower would help to clear his mind.

The plan to have the shower clear his head didn't work out as well as Jared had hoped. If anything, it just gave him more time to think about what happened. Jensen had been pissed off – but why? Jared didn't understand. He hadn't done anything wrong. Jensen had given him permission to spend time in the rec room, and that's what he'd been doing. But then that vampire had come out of nowhere and started bothering him. But Jared had told him to get lost, more or less.

Was that it? Had Jensen been... _jealous_? If that was the case, Jared was even more confused. It wasn't like Jared had been displaying feelings for Mark. Well, if he had been, it would have been disgust. So far, Jensen was the only vampire Jared could even look at without feeling the overwhelming need to vomit. And that was just because he was forced to, Jared was sure. After all, it wasn't like being brought here had Jared's mind changing about the way he felt toward vampires. He still hated their very existence.

Now his head _really_ hurt. Sighing, Jared turned off the chilling water. He just needed to sleep. Maybe once he got some rest, everything would be better. Tomorrow was a new day, and Jared could deal with all of this shit then. After all, he had never been a night owl – his brain usually started shutting down around midnight. Surely, it had to be around that time. Not that Jared could tell. Jensen didn't own a damn clock. And Jared's cell phone had stopped working years ago.

Once he was out of the shower, Jared quickly dried himself off and started searching for clothing. After rifling through a few drawers, Jared finally found a pair of clean boxers and some lounge pants. It was warm in the room, so Jared decided against a shirt. He knew that it was risky, but he didn't really care right now. Jensen still hadn't come back to the room, so Jared had convinced himself that he wasn't going to make another appearance this evening.

Completely dressed in his pajamas, Jared climbed into the bed. He was still pretty shaken up about what had happened, but he was determined to get some sleep. If he didn't, he was going to feel like hell tomorrow, and he hated it when that happened. Although he was a prisoner basically, Jared still liked to be productive. Well, as productive as he possibly could be. After all, he was still trying to get the hell out of here. And after what happened tonight, he had even more reason to want to leave. Who was to say the next time something like this happened, Jensen would stop? Jared couldn't risk it.

By the time the door opened, Jared had all but given up on the idea of sleep. His body was too wired to let him actually settle in. The bed dipped a few seconds after the door closed, Jared quickly closing his eyes and trying to force his breathing to even out. He didn't want Jensen to know that he was awake. He just wasn't ready to get into the conversation of what happened earlier. And he didn't think Jensen would attack him while he was sleeping. At least he hoped not.

It took everything in Jared not to flinch when Jensen laid down on the bed next to him. That would have really let on to the fact that he was awake. So, Jared kept himself completely still, focusing on keeping his breathing even and not letting his heart rate get out of control. He almost didn't realize that Jensen was speaking to him at first. Once he did though, Jared was holding on to every word.

“I'm so sorry,” Jensen whispered, fingers tracing down Jared's cheek before he tucked Jared's hair behind his ear like he'd done that first night Jared had slept in his bed with him. “I let myself lose control. It won't happen again. I just...I got so mad when I saw Mark with you. I know you weren't doing anything you shouldn't have been. I know it was all Mark. He does that. You know that friend you have who is always jealous and tries to make your life a living hell? Yeah, that's Mark. Hell, we're not even friends, Jay. I actually can't fucking stand him.”

A small chuckle escaped Jensen as his hand trailed down Jared's neck, over his shoulder and down his arm. “The thought of anyone else even looking at you pisses me off, Jared. But I mean, I know people are going to look. They'd be blind not to. You're fucking gorgeous. And I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you.”

Scooting closer, Jensen allowed his hand to settle around Jared's waist. He knew that he was being risky – Jared could wake up at any moment. But right now, Jensen didn't much care. Honestly, he wanted Jared to know how sorry he was. But he also knew that Jared more than likely wouldn't be willing to listen to his apology. “I would never hurt you,” Jensen promised, gently tugging Jared closer. “I know what I said when you first got here – that I would take what I want – but I can't. Not with you. I want you to give me everything willingly. I _can't_ hurt you. I don't want to.”

Gently, Jensen allowed his lips to brush against Jared's bare shoulder, Jensen pressing his forehead against the younger man's shoulder blades. “And I won't let anyone else hurt you either, baby,” he promised. “I'll kill anyone who tries. And if Mark gives you trouble again baby, m'gonna take care of that prick.”

Again, Jensen chuckled, head pulling away from Jared's skin. “You're making this so hard on me,” Jensen accused softly. “I scared you today, and that's the last thing I wanted. Jesus Jared, can't you see that all I want is to be seen by you? Just...accepted? I just...I'm not used to feeling this way. I haven't felt _anything_ in almost two centuries. And then you just come into my life and spark shit. And I'm powerless against it – against _you_. I can't help but to love you.”

When Jensen admitted to loving him, Jared almost gave away the fact that he wasn't sleeping. But Jensen was so wrapped up in his speech that he thankfully didn't realize Jared's breath hitched in his throat at the words. He hadn't been paying attention to the fact that Jensen could possibly have feelings for him these past few weeks. Honestly, Jared hadn't even entertained the idea. He'd been too wrapped up in his own little world trying to hate vampires. 

But in reality, Jared had mixed feelings about Jensen. He wasn't blind. He could see how hot the vampire was. But Jared hadn't really thought about anything deeper than that. Vampires didn't have feelings – they couldn't love. At least that's what Jared had always told himself before. But now, he wasn't so sure. 

Jensen's arm was still held protectively around Jared, and surprisingly, he didn't want to shove the vampire away from him. Maybe he'd been being too hard on Jensen? After all, Jensen had been nothing but nice to him since he took him out of that damn cell. Well, except for today. But maybe Jared was finally willing to try to make something work here. After all, his plan of escape still hadn't gotten off the ground. 

Much to his surprise, now that Jensen was back in the room and in bed with him, Jared felt like he might actually be able to get some rest. Sighing, Jared pressed his body tighter against Jensen's, allowing himself to relax further. It wasn't long after that Jared was able to fall into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, Jared woke up later than usual. Not surprising since he hadn't gone to bed until pretty late. And he'd woken up alone. Jared wasn't going to think too hard about how much that disappointed him. He needed to get some coffee into his system before he allowed those sorts of thoughts to creep into his mind.

**~~**

Over the next few weeks, Jared didn't see much of Jensen. It was like the vampire was ignoring him. And again, Jared still had no idea how he felt about that. He was trying not to think about all of this. But at the same time, he was trying to sort through all of his feelings in regards to Jensen. And honestly, it was really starting to give him a headache. So, he needed to clear his head. The best way to do that as far as he was concerned was a good workout. 

He'd already gone to the rec room this morning, so he wasn't about to make another trip there. He'd been trying to coordinate his rec room time to when he didn't think anyone else would be there. And now was not a good time. But Jensen's room could be considered a workout area – all Jared had to do was think creatively. 

About an hour after he started his workout, the door opened and Jensen walked in. Immediately, Jensen's eyes landed on Jared, dragging down the expanse of the younger man's body as Jared used the curtain rod to do pull ups. He was dripping with sweat, his muscles flexing with each move he made. Damn, he wanted to throw Jared on the bed and ravage him. But he wouldn't. Not until Jared begged him for it. 

Closing the door behind himself, Jensen smiled softly at Jared. “Hey,” he greeted, breaking the silence that had been between them since the incident. He made his way to his dresser, grabbing a few shirts and a couple clean pairs of pants before he tossed them on the bed. Reaching under the bed, Jensen grabbed his duffel, tossing the clothes into it haphazardly. “I have to run out on official vampire business again,” he explained. “I don't want you running off on your own while I'm gone.”

As soon as Jensen started packing his duffel, Jared knew that he was leaving. And no, he wasn't fucking upset about that. “What does that mean?” Jared asked, releasing the grip he had on the curtain rod and gently landing on his feet. Perfect form, if he did say so himself. “You can't just leave me alone in this room for God knows how long. You said I could go anywhere in the mansion that I want to. Whenever I want to.”

“I didn't say you had to stay in here,” Jensen explained, grabbing some supplies and tossing those into the bag as well. “I just said that I don't want you running off on your own.” The last time Jared had been left alone, Mark decided that it was a good opportunity to try to make a move. Jensen wasn't about to let that happen again.

Unable to stop himself, Jared rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, because I've made so many friends since I've been here to spend my time with,” Jared spat sarcastically. “I can't be cooped up in here while you're gone. I'll go crazy, Jensen.”

Officially packed, Jensen zipped up his duffel. “Jay, I didn't say you had to stay in here,” he repeated. “I have a friend you can hang out with. I trust her. She'd never let anything happen to you. And I think you'll really like her human. Her name is Vicki. You can hang out with her. She won't hurt you. And I know she'll keep you safe.”

Keep him safe – Jared hated that. He was perfectly capable of keeping himself safe. “You do know that I can handle myself, right?” Jared asked, moving to the bed and grabbing the towel he'd left there so he could wipe the sweat from his body. “They do call me the vampire slayer. I'll be fine without a protective detail.”

Oh, Jensen knew they called Jared the vampire slayer. But he also knew that Jared had gotten in a lucky hit. Most vampires weren't that stupid. Especially not the ones in this mansion. His attention was once again drawn to Jared's body as he watched the human wipe away the evidence of his workout. “Will you just listen to me?” Jensen all but begged. “For once? Just do what you're told?”

Although Jared didn't like being told what to do, he wasn't as confident as he played himself. He really didn't want to be in this mansion without Jensen. So having someone he knew would be watching his back was kind of a nice idea. “Fine,” he answered, feigning annoyance. “I'll stay with this Vicki lady.”

A wide smile came to Jensen's lips when Jared finally agreed to do as he was told. “Good,” he answered, pleased to know that he wouldn't have to worry about Jared while he was gone. He really did trust Vicki. They went way back, and she'd never done anything to make him think she wasn't on his side. She was actually one of his best friends. And that was a hard feat. 

Tossing his duffel over his shoulder, Jensen smiled once more at Jared. “You're really going to like her,” he assured the young human. “And you could learn a lot from her human. He has a great sense of humor. Something you lack.” Slapping Jared on the arm, Jensen chuckled when Jared shoved him away playfully and argued that his sense of humor was just fine.

Honestly, Jensen didn't want to leave. He felt like the elders needed him a lot more than usual these days, and he hated it. The more he was gone on official business, the less time he had to spend with Jared. But this time, he was sure it would work in his favor. Vicki could get Jared to see things from a different perspective. After all, her human had willingly attached himself to her – Jensen wanted that from Jared. “Look, I'll be back as soon as I can be, okay?” Jensen promised, turning to face Jared once more at the door.

Jared didn't want him to leave. The feelings he was experiencing now were odd – alien. He didn't like them. But he was determined to not let Jensen see the war he was having in his own mind right now. “Yeah, no worries. I'll be fine,” Jared assured the vampire with a tight lipped smile and a nod.

Without thinking, Jensen reached for Jared, cupping his human's cheek. He thought Jared leaned into his touch, but he was sure that he was just being hopeful. Jared wouldn't do that. But he wasn't pulling away from Jensen, so that was something he supposed. Catching Jared's bottom lip with his thumb, Jensen tugged downward, revealing Jared's straight white teeth. “You have no idea how much I wanna kiss you right now,” Jensen whispered, tongue sneaking out to wet his own suddenly too dry lips.

At Jensen's words, Jared's breath hitched in his throat. And no, he wasn't hoping the vampire would lean in and do just that. Was he? No, he wasn't. Before he could get a word out, Jensen was speaking again though. “But I won't,” Jensen assured him, releasing Jared. “Not until you ask me to.”

With that, Jensen was out the door, leaving Jared alone in shock.


	6. Chapter Six

The morning after Jensen left for his precious meeting, Jared met Vicki. She showed up at Jensen's room early in the morning, ready to escort Jared to the rec room. On the walk there, Jared learned a lot about the vampire. Like the fact that she was nearly three hundred years old, and she was a respected member of the mansion. She also was one of the authors of _pristine sex books_ as she called them – whatever the hell that meant.

At the rec room, Vicki introduced Jared to her human – Misha Collins. Turns out, Misha was a black belt before he came to stay with Vicki, so he was really fun to spar with. He actually even managed to get Jared on his back a few times. Jared hadn't been able to spar with another human in quite a while – he'd almost forgotten how fun it was.

While he and Misha were sparring, Jared noticed that Vicki and Mark were in the corner. It seemed like they were arguing, but Jared couldn't hear what they were saying. He could see that Vicki was in Mark's face though – that was kind of funny. Well, it was funny until Misha got a good hit in and Jared was on his ass again.

Chuckling, Misha extended his hand for Jared to take. “You're taking your attention out of the game too much,” Misha chastised, helping Jared to his feet. “That guy gives me the creeps,” Misha continued, his eyes having traveled to Mark where Jared's attention was once more. “When I got here, he was all over me too. Vicki put a stop to it real quick. The guy's all talk, I think. He just likes to scare us humans. That's why he's always down in the basement with the masses. He is all about fear – he thrives on it.”

A wide smile came to Misha's lips as he slapped Jared on the back. “But don't worry about it, man. Vicki is giving him hell and telling him to keep his damn eyes off you, I'm sure.” Rolling his eyes, Misha added, “Any idiot in this place knows that you belong to Jensen. It's not like the guy is keeping it a secret. I mean...he branded you, right?”

Jared frowned when Misha asked if he'd been branded. So people did know what Jensen had done to him? That was just...fantastic. “Uh...yeah, he did,” Jared answered, feeling heat rising to his cheeks. That wasn't exactly something that he liked to advertise to the world. After all, he still had plans of getting out of here someday. But he had no one to trust. He was sure that if he tried to leave, Misha wouldn't be on his side. As far as Jared could tell from being around him, Misha's loyalties lied with his vampire. 

And that's how it was supposed to be in here. This mansion was meant for the vampires. Humans just had the pleasure of living of here. Well, if that's what you wanted to call it, anyway – a _pleasure_. Personally, Jared would have preferred to be out in the world fighting for his life every day.

As soon as Misha saw Jared's cheeks color red, he felt like a damn idiot. “Ah, man, I'm sorry,” Misha apologized, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. “I, uh...I wasn't thinking. I just assumed you were okay with it.” Without another word, Misha pulled up his shirt, revealing a tattoo of his own. “Vicki branded me when I got here, too. It's just what they do.”

Honestly, Jared had to admit that he felt a little better knowing that he wasn't the only one. “Oh,” he answered, biting into his bottom lip. “I didn't know that.” There was a lot of things about this place and how everything worked that Jared didn't know. And maybe Jensen leaving him with Vicki and Misha was a blessing in disguise. After all, Misha seemed to know a lot about what went on here. Jared could use that.

He felt a little bad thinking that way, though. Misha had been the first bit of human contact since Jared had been taken by Jensen. And he didn't want to make him feel like he was being used. But Jared had so many questions. He didn't even know where to begin. But he knew that he wanted to talk to Misha. After all, Jared had these growing... _feelings_ – for lack of a better word – for Jensen. And Misha obviously cared about Vicki, so he was the perfect person to ask.

And he couldn't deny that he'd missed the human contact. It had been years since his brother had been taken from him, and Jared had been on his own. And then when he got here, most people wouldn't talk to him in the yard. And then he'd been ushered straight to Jensen. Misha was the first human Jared had been able to actually interact with in quite a while. It was nice. Jared had almost forgotten how nice it was, honestly.

Before he and Misha could strike up another conversation, Vicki was walking over. She smiled widely at Jared before turning her attention to Misha. Jared could see that there were real feelings between the two of them. Could he have that? Could he ever look at Jensen the way Misha was looking at Vicki right now? Jared honestly just wasn't sure.

“Jared, why don't you have dinner with us?” Vicki invited, dragging her eyes away from her lover so she could focus on Jared once more. “I hate to have to think of you being holed up in Jensen's room all by yourself all of the time. We would love to have you.”

From what Jared could tell, Vicki was as nice as they come. And he really enjoyed spending time with Misha, so when Vicki invited him to dinner, Jared didn't think twice about accepting the invite. Surprisingly, they were able to order Chinese food, which Jared was grateful for. Not that he didn't appreciate the food that Jensen always brought for him, but it was nice to actually sit down and enjoy some junk food for a change. 

The conversation between the three of them was nice, too. For a while, Jared actually felt normal. He almost forgot that he was here against his will and that he was in another vampire's room right now acting like they were old pals. It was really nice, actually. 

About an hour after they'd all finished their meals, Vicki excused herself to take a shower, leaving Jared and Misha alone once more. As Misha tossed back another beer, Jared couldn't help but notice the bite marks littering Misha's neck and wrists. He'd seen them earlier while they were sparring, but he'd been focused on his workout. Now, Jared was curious.

Before he even realized that he was speaking, the words were out of his mouth. “Why do you let her feed from you?” he asked, cheeks heating once more when he realized what he'd done. He had meant to be a lot more tactful than that.

But Misha didn't seem to mind. Instead, he just shrugged. “Because she wants to,” he answered. “I know that she needs blood to survive. And I know that she hates the blood bags. And if she were to ever go to a donor, I'd want to tear that donor apart. So, I just let her take what she needs from me. It's better that way.”

Donors – Jared had seen some of those people when Jensen had paraded him around the mansion. He'd hated them when he'd seen them. He remembered that they reminded him of strung out junkies just looking for their next fix. It was unsanitary. And he didn't understand the hype of being eaten alive. “Does it hurt?” he asked, swallowing thickly. And _no_ , he wasn't asking because he was thinking about letting Jensen feed from him. Absolutely not.

Chuckling softly, Misha shook his head as he took another pull from his beer bottle. “Oh, absolutely not,” he answered. “It's pleasurable for the both of us.” Leaning in just a little closer, Misha locked eyes with Jared. “I mean, you know, the initial penetration is kind of rough, but once the sting is gone, it's amazing. We're sharing something so...personal. I can't even explain the euphoria, Jared.”

Gently, Misha slapped Jared's arm, leaning back in his chair. “I mean, I don't even have to explain it to you,” he chuckled once more. “You know how it is, right? I'm sure Jensen and Vicki do it the same way. Not many ways to drink from a human I would imagine.”

Again, Jared's cheeks heated at Misha's words. “I, um...Jensen and I have never—” He didn't even know how to finish his sentence. They'd never done what? Swapped DNA? That just sounded ridiculous. It was true, but it sounded absolutely ridiculous.

Misha's eyes widened to a comical size when Jared stuttered out his response. “Really?” he asked, leaning in once more. “How long have you been here, Jared? It's been...months? Hasn't it?” When Jared nodded, Misha just stared at him in shock for a few minutes before he could regain his composure. “Oh...well, I mean, whatever floats your boat. But honestly, you don't know what you're missing out on, man.”

Just as Jared was going to ask more questions about the donors, Vicki stepped out of the bathroom. She had her hair wrapped up in her towel, and she was wearing a long, satin robe. She looked like a vision. And judging by the way Misha was looking at her, he realized it, too. Suddenly, Jared felt very uncomfortable being around them. Kind of like he was a burden and he was interrupting them, or something.

However, when he suggested that he get going, Vicki insisted that he stay for a little while longer. And Jared wasn't about to argue with Jensen's friend. After all, he could only imagine that Vicki was going to report back with everything that happened while he was gone. And he didn't know how he felt about that. Honestly, Jared wasn't sure how he felt about a lot of things now. 

Jared wasn't sure how much time passed before Misha finally called it a night, leaving him and Vicki alone to chat. He wasn't sure how to act around her. With Misha, it was easy. He was human. And he was a guy. Jared could think of things to talk about with him. But with Vicki, Jared was lost.

Out of the blue, Vicki blurted out, “I know you're confused about everything, Jared. I can see it in your eyes. And...I may have heard you talking to Misha while I was in the shower. I wasn't trying to listen, I promise. I just...overheard it.” Gently, Vicki placed her hand over top of Jared's. “I don't know if my opinion on the matter means anything, but I'm going to give it to you anyway.

“I know that Jensen cares about you, Jared. He wouldn't have asked me to keep an eye on you while he was gone if he didn't.” Rolling her eyes, Vicki added, “And that creep Mark should leave you alone now. I told him I was going to rip his balls off and make him eat them if he bothered you again. So, you have nothing to worry about there.”

A startled chuckle escaped Jared when Vicki explained how she'd gotten Mark off his case. Quickly, Jared slapped his hand over his mouth, eyes darting to Misha to make sure he hadn't woken him. “Oh, don't worry, sweetie, he'd sleep through a hurricane,” Vicki assured Jared with a dismissive wave. “Anyway, I just wanted to talk to you about everything. Maybe you're on the fence about a few things, and I can help clear it up for you?”

He was on the fence alright. But Jared wasn't sure if Vicki was the best person to talk to. Then again, she hadn't done anything to make him feel like he couldn't trust her since he'd met her. And maybe it was a good idea to get information from another perspective. “Um...I mean, there's not much to talk about,” Jared lied, shaking his head. “I'm just...confused, is all. My experiences with vampires in the past have been nothing but blood and mayhem. And then I get here and Jensen...he's nice to me. For the most part, anyway. And then I met you. And you're great. I just...don't know what to do.”

Vicki leaned back in her seat when Jared spoke, giving him a pointed look. “Jensen better be nice to you,” she said, rolling her eyes. “That boy can be so stupid sometimes. But he really does mean well. He just hasn't been with another person, alive or undead, in quite a while. He mainly sticks to himself. I'm the one who suggested that he get a companion, actually.” Smiling softly, Vicki complimented, “I think he did well choosing you.”

Well, that didn't make Jared feel any better about the situation. “How do you know him?” Jared asked, wanting to get some kind of insight into Jensen's life. After all, it wasn't like Jensen was forthcoming with a lot of details. He was a private, secretive vampire. Vicki didn't seem like she was private or secretive about much. “Like...how did the two of you meet?”

Again, Vicki shrugged at the question. “Jensen sired me,” she explained, figuring Jared knew their terminology by now. But when he just looked at her with a blank stare, Vicki realized just how wrong she was. “He made me what I am. Turned me into a vampire about a two hundred and seventy years ago.”

The new information that Jensen had been responsible for turning Vicki wasn't helping Jared feel better. “He...turned you into a vampire?” Jared repeated, biting into his bottom lip when Vicki nodded. She obviously didn't see how that was a problem for Jared. “Is that...something he does often?” Was that Jensen's plan for him? Jared couldn't be a vampire. He _wouldn't_ be.

Quickly, Vicki shook her head, realizing that Jared was starting to turn a little green around the gills. “Oh, no, sweetie!” she assured the younger man. “Not at all. He hasn't done it since me! And he only turned me because I asked him to. He did it to save my life.”

Now, Jared was really confused. “What do you mean he saved your life?” Jared asked, unable to help himself. As far as he was concerned, being turned into a vampire was a death sentence. He couldn't understand why anyone would willingly choose to become an undead thing. Let alone _ask_ to be one.

“Before I met Jensen,” Vicki started, staring at a spot on the floor as if she was remembering back to that night, “I was in a relationship with this guy. He was a real creep. Biker guy. He liked to get high and drunk – two of his favorite things. And while he was on a bender, he got violent. He'd beat me. A lot. And pretty badly. I met Jensen while he was trolling a bar for vampires who hadn't been recruited yet. He saw the bruises and he tried to help me. He tried to get me to go with him – get away from that guy. But I refused.”

As she continued her story, Vicki crossed her arms over her chest, eyes finding Jared's. “The night he sired me, this guy I was with had been in a pretty bad mood. One of his biker buddies had gotten into it with him, and he came home looking for a fight. He beat me worse than he'd ever done before. Jensen burst through the door and knocked him unconscious. I was bleeding...broken bones through my entire face and both of my arms. So...he gave me two options. One, I could wait for death to take me. Or two, he could turn me into a creature of the night. Make me something stronger, faster, deadlier. He could make sure no one ever hurt me again.”

Shrugging, Vicki took a pull from Misha's beer bottle. “So he turned me. And that sonuvabitch who almost killed me was my first meal. I've been with Jensen ever since. He _saved_ my life. And I'll be forever grateful for that. He brought me back to the mansion and the rest is history.”

It was almost unbelievable to hear about Vicki not being a strong woman. Jared couldn't picture her on the floor being bloodied and broken by the hands of some man. The Vicki he'd seen was a ruthless, ask no questions woman who knew how to handle herself. “Do you regret it?” he asked, pretty sure he already knew the answer.

Without hesitation, Vicki shook her head. “If I could go back and change anything, I wouldn't,” she assured Jared. “Jensen is my best friend. He's great. Any time I need him, he's there for me. And I try to do the same for him. He has a great heart – even if it doesn't beat.” Smiling, Vicki leaned in a cupped Jared's cheek. “Trust me when I tell you Jared, you could do _a lot_ worse here.”

Jared was starting to see that pretty clearly now. “Yeah, I'm sure I could,” he smiled back. “It's late. I should probably try to get some sleep.” When Vicki offered to let him stay there with her and Misha, Jared politely shook his head. “I haven't slept anywhere other than Jensen's room since I've gotten here for the most part,” Jared explained. “I feel...I don't know, I guess I just feel safe there. I hope you don't mind.”

Another wide smile came to Vicki's lips as she shook her head. “Not at all, Jared. At least let me walk you there so you're not alone. This is a very active time for vampires. And while I think Mark got the picture, I don't want to risk anything.” 

For a second, Jared thought about turning down the offer of having Vicki as a chaperone. But he really didn't want to be walking around a mansion full of vampires right now all alone. Sure, he had Jensen's brand, but he didn't trust that as much as he trusted another vampire walking right alongside him. So, he nodded, allowing Vicki to lead the way back to Jensen's room. When they reached the room, Jared thanked the vampire, accepting her hug when she pulled him into an embrace.

After bidding Vicki goodnight, Jared headed into the room. He quickly changed into sleep pants before he crawled under the blankets. It had been a long day. And he had a lot of new information to process. He'd hoped that talking to Misha and Vicki would give him clarity about his situation. Instead, he felt more lost than ever.

Sighing, Jared curled up under the blankets, pulling the warm fabric over his shoulder. He just needed to get some sleep. He'd deal with this all in the morning. Surely, when he was more awake, things would become a lot more clear for him. And hopefully, he'd be able to figure everything out finally.

Throughout the night, Jared dreamed. It wasn't often that he remembered his dreams, but tonight, he did. He had dreamed about his family – his mother, so beautiful and happy. His father so strong and loving. And his brother, so loyal and intuitive. They were all together again. Like none of this had ever happened.

But tonight, there was another man in his dreams. A man pulling him from his family and wrapping him in a new, different kind of warmth. He dreamed of full, plush lips crushing against his, hot tongue sliding into his mouth and dancing with his own. Strong, calloused hands moving over every inch of his body as he writhed underneath the man. 

A loud groan escaped his lips as he rocked up against the man above him, Jared turning his head to expose his neck. When fangs sank into the soft skin over his jugular, Jared moaned once more, Jensen's name falling from his lips.

Quickly, Jared jerked awake, his hand shooting up to the tingling skin of his throat. He wasn't bleeding. He was alone. It was just a dream. His breaths were panting out of him as Jared's eyes darted around the room, just making sure that no one was in here with him. Satisfied that it was just a dream, Jared sighed heavily as he flopped back onto the bed. Okay fine, he'd admit it – he missed Jensen.


	7. Chapter Seven

Jared sighed as he made his way up the last flight of stairs to Jensen's room. He'd been in the rec room all morning trying to clear his head. After the dreams he'd been having the night before, Jared was about ready to explode. And it wasn't like he could talk to anyone about it. Misha and Vicki were nice and all, but Jared wasn't interested in sharing his life story with a vampire and her human. 

Once he was up the stairs, Jared headed into Jensen's room, intent on taking a shower. Sometimes that helped to clear his mind, too. But at this point, if his workout did nothing, Jared wasn't having high hopes for his shower, either. Still, he'd worked up a good sweat, so he needed to take a shower. Otherwise, he was going to feel dirty for the rest of the day, and that just wasn't okay with him. 

When Jared moved to close the door, something stopped him. Panic shot through him, causing his chest to rise and fall. Quickly, Jared gave the door a hard shove before he turned and ran further into the room. If he had the element of surprise, there was a chance he could fight off this intruder, he was sure. 

“Ow, dammit!” a voice came from behind the door, causing Jared to relax. “Fuck. Jared?!”

That voice – Jared knew that voice. “Jensen?” Jared asked, slowly moving from where he'd tucked himself into the shadows of the wall. “You're back. I didn't think you would be back so soon. You said you weren't sure how long you were going to be away.”

Moving further into the room, Jensen closed the door behind himself. “Yeah, well, it took less time that I anticipated,” he explained. “Why are you here? Where's Vicki?” Jensen had been very clear about Jared staying with Vicki while he was away. And Vicki was usually pretty good about following directions. At least she had been in the past, anyway. Maybe she was growing less reliable in her old age. After all, Jensen knew that she liked to hole herself up in her room with Misha more often than not these days.

A small frown came to Jared's lips when Jensen asked why he was here. “I, um, I told her that she didn't have to watch me like a hawk today,” Jared explained. “Don't worry, she's been with me the whole time you've been gone. I just needed a break for a little while. She and Misha looked like they were going crazy not...you know...touching each other, so I let them have some space.” 

All of a sudden, Jared felt like he was a school boy being scolded. Biting into his bottom lip, Jared explained, “I was just in the rec room. Yesterday, when Vicki and I were there, she told Mark to back off, and he seems to have listened to her. I just...was trying to be nice to Vicki. And Misha. I mean...he looked like he was ready to pounce on her the last time I was with them, so I didn't want to be a part of that. I was just...coming back here to take a shower and then I was gonna go back over there.”

It made sense that being around Vicki and Misha had made Jared uncomfortable. Jensen hadn't even thought about it when he'd told Vicki to watch him. Hell, sometimes Jensen even got uncomfortable being around them. And he was much more in tune with his sexuality than Jared was. “Oh,” he mumbled, tossing his bag onto the bed. “I guess I should let you get to it, then. I'll let Vicki know I'm back and she doesn't have to keep an eye on you anymore for now.”

 _For now_? What the hell did that mean? Jensen was planning on leaving again? And how soon? Jared hoped it wasn't too soon. Maybe Jensen was just leaving all of the time because he thought Jared wanted him gone? But he didn't, dammit. And he hated that he didn't, but he just couldn't deny it anymore. He wanted Jensen. “Okay,” he answered with a small nod. 

He was drawing a blank about how to tell Jensen he didn't want him to leave. Jared used to be so good at expressing his feelings. Apparently being alone in the world for years on end had taken that away from him too. Or maybe it was just the fact that he didn't even really understand his own feelings. And if he didn't understand them, how was he supposed to make Jensen understand? It was damn near impossible.

So, he just kept his mouth shut as he moved to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Sighing, Jared turned on the water, kicking himself internally. “C'mon, you idiot,” he muttered to himself, hoping the sound of the running water would interfere with Jensen's super human hearing abilities. “You can just tell him. He isn't going to make a big deal about it. And if he does, you can just ignore him.”

Slowly, Jared blinked, letting out a deep breath. Great. Now, he was talking to himself. He needed to get a grip. This was getting a little ridiculous. Hopefully, his shower would help. Jared quickly stripped out of his clothing and climbed under the hot spray, allowing it to wash over him and ease the tension in his aching muscles. 

About twenty minutes after he stepped into the bathroom, Jared emerged in a cloud of steam. His eyes darted around the room, looking for the man he'd been missing the last few days. When his eyes finally landed on Jensen, Jared released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. With purpose, Jared strode to Jensen, not missing the way the vampire's eyes raked over his exposed flesh. “I'm glad you're back,” Jared blurted out, smiling sheepishly at the older man.

Thrown off guard by Jared's words, Jensen knit his brows in confusion. “Yeah?” he asked, wondering what the younger man was playing at here. Sure, they'd had a few good weeks before Jensen left, but he wasn't about to get his hopes up. He wasn't about to fool himself by thinking that maybe Jared had actually missed him. “Careful Jared, it's almost sounding like you missed me while I was gone,” he teased, unsure how to feel as Jared's cheeks burned a bright red.

“Would it be so hard to believe it if I did?” Jared asked, eyes locking on Jensen's own. Jared wanted him to know that he did miss him. Sure, it had just been a few days, but those few days without Jensen had been so different than what Jared was used to. He hadn't had Jensen in the bed with him, and it made it hard to sleep. And yes, Jared realized how fucked up he was for feeling like that, but he couldn't help it! 

Since he'd been grabbed and _claimed_ – for lack of a better word – Jared had only known one thing. And that thing was Jensen. So far, Jensen had done nothing but keep him safe and tell him how much he cared about him while he thought Jared was asleep. So yeah, maybe Jared was finally warming up to him. Was that so wrong?

Jensen wasn't sure how to feel. If Jared was fucking with him, this was a new level of cruel. But if Jared wasn't just jerking his chain, then what did this mean for them? “I don't know,” Jensen answered with a shrug. “You didn't seem too broken up about me leaving. I figured you'd like the time away from me.”

Honestly, Jared had thought the same thing. But he'd been proven completely wrong. He'd hated every second that Jensen wasn't here with him. And he wished Jensen would stop going on these stupid missions with the elders. It wasn't like Jensen was an elder! At least Jared didn't think he was. He sure as hell didn't look like the other elders. Then again, Jared knew vampires didn't age, so who was he to judge. 

Now, it was Jared's turn to shrug. “Well, I didn't,” he answered honestly, eyes ticking to the ground. “I actually hated it. I mean, don't get me wrong, Misha and Vicki are really nice. And they were really fun to hang out with. They made me feel like one of the gang. But...they're not you.” Biting into his bottom lip, Jared all but whispered, “I missed you.”

Those three words were probably the best things Jensen had heard in almost a century. “You did?” Jensen asked, almost afraid that he was hearing things. But the nod from Jared was unmistakeable. This was a big step – Jared was finally starting to warm up to him. Jensen couldn't risk this – he was going to have to skip the next mission. He couldn't leave Jared alone. Slowly, Jensen reached for the younger man, running his hand up Jared's bicep comfortingly. “Well, I'm back now. And I'm not going anywhere for a long while, okay?”

Unable to stop the words forming in his throat, Jared breathed, “Do you promise?” Immediately, he felt like an idiot for saying it. He felt like a scared little child, forcing his daddy to make promises he potentially couldn't keep. But the words were out now, and there was nothing Jared could do about it.

Gently cupping Jared's chin, Jensen forced the younger man to look at him. “I promise,” he answered, green eyes locked on sad, champagne hazels. He wanted to kiss Jared right now. And judging by the way Jared was looking at him, he wanted Jensen to kiss him, too. But he hadn't asked. And Jensen told him he wouldn't kiss him until he did. But Jared was stubborn – Jensen knew that the first night they'd been in the same room together. As far as Jensen knew, he'd never ask him to kiss him. 

But Jensen wasn't going to push his luck. This had been a good day so far, and Jensen didn't want to risk it by being rejected. “You should get dressed,” Jensen suggested instead, allowing his hand to fall from Jared's face. “I told Vicki you and I would come over and have dinner with her and Misha. I wanted to thank her for watching over you while I was gone.”

Although Jared wasn't too thrilled about another night at Vicki's house, he wasn't going to argue. It wasn't like she wasn't nice to him. And she had done a lot to help him realize that he'd actually missed Jensen. Sure, she probably didn't realize it, but that didn't change the facts. “Okay,” Jared mumbled, a little disappointed that Jensen hadn't kissed him. The moment had been right there and Jensen had let it die. “Anything particular?”

“I like the Henley and those tight fitting dark jeans, personally,” Jensen answered, not bothering to hide what he liked to watch Jared parade around in. “But you can wear whatever you want. Flannel would be good, too, I guess. I'm gonna grab a shower, and then we can go.”

**~~**

Three hours later, Jensen and Jared were headed back to Jensen's room. Jared was a little bit tipsy from the alcohol Misha was supplying him with, and he was feeling pretty damn good right about now. All of his previous ailments while he was sober with his current situation seemed to disappear now that he had some liquid courage. Everything was so much clearer now. He wanted Jensen, and he didn't have a problem with that.

His eyes raked over Jensen's body as he walked a few steps ahead of him. Damn, he was sexy. Jared had realized it before, but he'd never taken the time to actually admire him. His muscles were barely veiled under the black Henley that he was wearing, and those jeans were hugging him in all the right places. Jared felt himself harden at the thought of being underneath that body. Jensen would do it if Jared asked. All Jared had to do was ask Jensen for what he wanted. Surely, Jensen wanted this just as badly as he did. They'd waited long enough as far as Jared was concerned.

Without thinking, Jared pressed his body against Jensen's where he stood against the door, unintentionally preventing him from opening it. His hands moved to grope at Jensen's chest and abdomen, fingers gripping at Jensen's muscles. He heard Jensen ask him what the hell he was doing, but Jared didn't care. It wasn't like Jensen was going to shove him away. “I want you,” Jared mumbled, words slurring in his drunken state. “Want me, too. Know you do.”

It was true – Jensen did want Jared. But not like this. The younger man was drunk off his ass. Anything sexual at this point would be considered taking advantage. And when they finally had that moment, Jensen wanted Jared to remember it. “You're drunk,” Jensen stated the obvious, grabbing Jared's left wrist and pulling it away from his stomach.

When Jensen reached for Jared's right hand, the younger man's left hand resumed it's work on Jensen's body. “Jared, c'mon, stop it,” Jensen chuckled, shaking his head. “Let me open the door. We gotta get you to bed.” Jared was going to have a massive hangover in the morning. Jensen knew he was going to have to go raid the medicine room for some pain killers so he didn't have to hear about it later.

Bed – that sounded like a good idea. Getting to bed with Jensen sounded like an even better idea. Slowly, Jared slid his hand up Jensen's shirt, fingers skirting along the Jensen's cool flesh. “Mmm...come to bed _with_ me,” Jared suggested, allowing Jensen to step back so he could open the door, though he didn't break contact.

A small snort left Jensen when Jared suggested they go to bed together. “Yeah, I sleep with you every night,” Jensen reminded. Jared was kind of cute when he was drunk. If he'd have known getting Jared drunk was all it was going to take to get him to admit his feelings, Jensen would have supplied him with alcohol a lot earlier. 

Once they were in Jensen's room, Jared kicked the door closed, lips closing around Jensen's neck in the juncture of his shoulder. “No, Jen, I mean _really_ sleep with me,” Jared reiterated. His fingers gripped the hem of Jensen's shirt, drunkenly tugging at the fabric. “This off,” Jared slurred, getting frustrated when he couldn't pull the shirt off Jensen. “Naked. Please?”

“Jared, you're gonna rip my shirt,” Jensen protested when the younger man started tugging roughly at his clothes. He was rather particular about his clothing. The last thing he needed was for Jared to be stretching out one of his favorite Henley's. Grabbing Jared's wrists, Jensen pulled both of Jared's hands away from him, shaking his head once more when Jared whined in protest.

Turning so that he was facing Jared, Jensen locked eyes with him. “Jay, you're drunk,” he reminded, holding Jared's wrists locked tightly against his sides so he couldn't try to strip Jensen again. “Now, I have a lot of willpower, but if you keep it up, I'm not gonna be able to tell you no.”

Quickly, Jared shook his head, trying to fight against the grip Jensen had on his arms. “Don't tell me no, then,” he argued. “Please? Thought you wanted this, too.” A small frown came to his lips as he looked at the ground, puppy dog eyes slowly lifting to look at Jensen once more. “Don't reject me,” he pleaded, leaning closer to Jensen and trying to capture the older man's lips with his own.

Almost being caught off guard, Jensen barely had time to lean back so Jared couldn't kiss him. “I'm not rejecting you,” he assured Jared. “I wouldn't do that. You know I want you, too.” Slowly, Jensen reached up, cupping Jared's cheek. As soon as Jared's wrist was free, his hand was on Jensen again, fingers digging into Jensen's side. “I want you to be sober when I finally take what I want.”

A deep frown came to Jared's lips when Jensen spoke. “M'fine,” Jared assured him, leaning into Jensen's hand on his cheek. “I know what I want, Jen. Please?” He shoved his hand back up under Jensen's shirt then, groping at any inch of flesh he could reach. 

Jensen wanted to believe Jared. But any idiot could tell that he wasn't in his right mind at the moment. “How about I make you a deal,” he suggested, fingers sliding back to card through Jared's floppy hair. “Why don't you sleep this off tonight, and then tomorrow, if you still want me, we can do whatever you want, alright?”

If he still wanted him – that was a joke. Jared knew he wasn't going to get over Jensen in a day. And while he wanted him now, he supposed that he could wait for another night. It wouldn't kill him, he was sure. “Are you still gonna sleep with me?” Jared asked, biting into his bottom lip as his fingers gripped Jensen's more tightly.

Without a second thought, Jensen nodded. “Of course I am,” he promised. He didn't have a choice really. Not unless he wanted to sleep on the floor, which wasn't going to happen. It was his bed, after all. “Which sweats do you wanna wear tonight? Black or gray?”

“Neither,” Jared answered with a shake of his head. Quickly, he shrugged out of the flannel he was wearing before stripping out of the gray T-shirt he was wearing underneath. He then popped the fastening of his jeans, tugging them off as he toed off his boots. Once he was in his boxers, Jared moved to the bed, all but throwing himself onto the mattress and curling up under the blankets.

As soon as he felt the bed dip next to him, Jared rolled onto his side so he was facing Jensen. His eyes raked over the planes of flesh now visible to him, Jared once again feeling his body growing hard in his boxers. Without thinking, Jared threw his arm out, hand landing on Jensen's cheek. “You're pretty,” he smirked, index finger sliding along Jensen's plush bottom lip. “Freckles are cute,” he chuckled as he poked each one.

Jensen's hand gently reached up to grip Jared's wrist once more, pulling his hand away from his face. “Go to sleep,” he ordered softly, gently laying Jared's hand on the bed. When Jared tried to reach for his face again, Jensen gripped his wrist once more, putting Jared's hand on his stomach instead. If Jared was so intent on touching him, he'd have to settle for something other than Jensen's face.

But Jared didn't want his hand there. Jensen's hand was covering Jared's so he couldn't move it, causing the younger man to moan in protest. “Leggo,” Jared mumbled, jerking his hand until Jensen released him. “Hold me,” he urged, gripping Jensen's wrist and giving him a hard tug. 

Sighing, Jensen rolled onto his side, gently pushing on Jared's shoulder. “Roll over,” he instructed, helping the younger man maneuver himself so that he was on his opposite side, back facing Jensen. Once he had Jared where he wanted him, Jensen scooted closer, pressing his chest firmly against Jared's back as his arm circled Jared's waist, pulling the younger man impossibly closer. “Better?” he asked, chin pressed against Jared's shoulder so he could see Jared's face. “S'this what you want?”

His hand groped at Jensen's, lacing their fingers together as Jared settled back against the hard body behind him. “Yeah,” he answered softly, feeling his body start to relax as sleep started taking over him. “Don't lemme go.”

Unable to resist, Jensen leaned in, pressing a kiss to Jared's shoulder as he got into a more comfortable position. “Don't worry baby,” he whispered, hooking one leg over Jared's and shoving his foot between Jared's calves. “I won't.”


	8. Chapter Eight

The first thing Jared realized when he woke the next morning was that he'd made a terrible mistake last night. His head was pounding, and his mouth was as dry as the Sahara. He was afraid to open his eyes because he knew the sun was going to make his head hurt even worse. The second thing he noticed was that Jensen was _really_ close to him. A lot closer than he had ever been. And he wasn't mad about it.

Trying not to let on that he was awake, Jared sifted through the memories he could salvage from the night before. He and Misha had been knocking back drinks like there was no tomorrow. Jensen and Vicki were talking amongst themselves, and Jared was unloading his feelings onto Misha. Of course, Misha's advice had been to just _go for it_. Yeah, like it was that easy.

But at the time, Jared must have thought it was a good idea because here they were. Jared knew they hadn't had sex because he remembered the feeling of rejection when Jensen turned him down. Great – he was one of _those_ people. A shining example of why Jared very rarely drank. When he did, he tended to get a little handsy. Thankfully, it didn't seem like Jensen had fallen for it. A perfect gentleman, Jared supposed. That was reassuring.

Movement from behind him had Jared tensing. “Hey,” Jared heard Jensen whisper, letting him know that Jensen knew he was awake. “There's Advil downstairs. You want me to go get you some?” His fingers pushed Jared's hair out of his face, tucking it behind his ear. “Bet your head hurts after last night, huh?”

Slowly, Jared blinked his eyes open, rolling onto his opposite side so that he was facing Jensen. His back was to the window now so his head didn't hurt too much from the morning sun. “Yes, please?” he answered, eyes searching Jensen's face for any signs that they'd done anything more than cuddling last night. He knew that he'd wanted to, but he couldn't remember if Jensen had taken the bait. He was almost completely positive he hadn't, but Jared needed to know for sure.

Instead of answering Jared verbally, Jensen merely nodded before he pushed himself out of the bed. He tugged on an oversized hoodie and a pair of black seat pants before he headed out of the room, leaving Jared alone with his thoughts. 

Once Jensen was gone, Jared lifted the blankets, checking to make sure he had clothes on still. Not much, but at least he wasn't naked. Quickly, Jared tossed the blankets back, crawling out of the bed and moving to grab some clothing. His head protested the fast actions, but Jared wasn't about to be caught without his pants on when Jensen came back into this room. 

Dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a white wife beater, Jared sat on the bed once more, head in his hands. He was going to clock Misha the next time he saw him. How could he have been so reckless. Jared knew better, dammit! If this Advil didn't kick in fast, he wasn't even going to be able to workout today. That was going to set him back all week.

Before he had time to mentally chastise himself further, Jensen walked through the door once more, painkillers and a water bottle in his hands. “Here you go,” Jensen offered, handing Jared the supplies he'd gathered before sitting on the bed next to him. “How are you feeling?” When Jared merely nodded before he tossed back four of the pills, Jensen frowned. “What do you remember from last night?”

“Not much,” Jared answered with a shake of his head. “I, um, I remember drinking with Misha. A lot. And then we left, and I remember coming on to you. But...I don't know what happened after that.” Swallowing thickly, Jared whispered, “Did...did we...you know...do anything last night?”

Although they hadn't done anything, Jensen wasn't above jerking Jared's chain a little bit. “You mean you don't remember?” he asked, feigning hurt. “We did a lot last night, Jared. It was...unimaginable.” Leaning in, Jensen whispered in Jared's ear, “The things you can do with that mouth are just...absolutely sinful.”

When he pulled back, Jensen couldn't help but laugh at the bright red coloring of Jared's cheeks. “Relax,” he instructed, patting Jared's thigh. “I'm just fucking with you. We didn't do anything. You groped at me for a little while and then I told you to go bed. You listened. End of story.” Pushing himself off the bed, Jensen moved to his dresser, tossing the clothes he hadn't unpacked from his previous trip into the drawers. 

“You're a friggin' jerk,” Jared complained as he shook his head. He had to give Jensen credit, though – it was pretty funny. And if Jensen wanted to play dirty, Jared could, too. Moving slowly so he didn't make himself nauseous, Jared got off the bed and walked closer to Jensen. “And a liar. Don't act like you didn't enjoy my hands all over you.”

A small smirk came to Jensen's lips as he felt Jared coming closer to him. “I wasn't acting like anything,” Jensen assured the younger man. “I very much enjoyed your hands all over me. But I wish you would have been sober so I could have done something about it.” Turning toward Jared so that he could see his face, Jensen smirked. “Are you sober now? Care to run those hands all over me again?”

Now that Jensen was actually playing along, Jared lost his muster a bit. “I...um...I don't know,” Jared answered with a small shake of his head. Immediately, he regret the movement. His stomach rolled as his head pounded, making him feel sick. “I don't feel well.”

Without warning, Jared slapped his hand over his mouth and booked it to the bathroom. Once he was on his knees in front of the toilet, Jared released the contents of his stomach, his head pounding even harder with the action. “Ugh...God...I feel like Hell.”

Jensen couldn't remember the last time he'd been hung over. Even when he was a human, he'd basically lived his whole life drinking, so he didn't much feel the effects of alcohol. “Yeah, I bet,” he assured Jared. “Why don't you head to the cafeteria and get yourself some breakfast. Food will help soak up the alcohol.”

Only when he was sure that he wasn't going to puke again, Jared flushed the toilet, running the back of his hand along his mouth. “Where are you going?” he asked, realizing that Jensen had told _him_ to go to the cafeteria. 

Damn, Jensen had been hoping Jared wouldn't catch that. “I have an errand to run,” Jensen explained, shrugging out of his sweat pants and pulling on a pair of blue jeans. He then replaced his hoodie with an olive green Henley. “Don't worry. It won't take long. I'll be back before you're even done with your breakfast. Have some coffee, too. The caffeine will help with the hangover.”

A small frown came to Jared's lips when Jensen answered his question very vaguely. “You're not going to come eat breakfast with me?” Jared asked, not sure why he cared all of sudden about how Jensen spent his personal time. It wasn't like Jared hadn't eaten breakfast alone in the cafeteria before. It was different now though. Jared had feelings for Jensen now. He wanted to start some kind of relationship with him now. And if Jensen was going to be secretive and shady, Jared wasn't sure he would be able to handle that.

“I don't eat that shit, baby,” Jensen answered with a shake of his head. Tugging on his boots, Jensen moved to close the gap between himself and Jared. “There's pancakes down there. And bacon. I know how much you like bacon. After breakfast, you and I can head to the cinema room. It'll be fun. You can eat popcorn and that candy crap that you like so much.”

Frowning slightly, Jared mumbled, “They're Sour Patch Kids.” He still didn't like the idea of going to the cafeteria on his own, but he knew there was no changing Jensen's mind about this. If Jensen wanted to go off and run an errand, who was Jared to stop him? “Fine,” he finally muttered. “But I wanna pick the movie.”

A hearty chuckle left Jensen at Jared's words. “Fine, you can pick the movie,” he promised. He had no intention of actually watching the movie, anyway, so it didn't much matter to him what Jared picked. After last night, Jensen had every intention of working on his plan to get Jared to beg him to kiss him. “I'll meet you back here in an hour, okay?”

Once he had confirmation from Jared, Jensen headed out the door. Jared frowned as he watched the older man go, still wondering where Jensen could possibly be going at this hour. But he wasn't going to dwell on it. Instead, he grabbed a hoodie and threw it over his tank top before he headed to the cafeteria. He had to admit he was pretty hungry, after all.

In the cafeteria, Jared met up with Misha, who looked almost as bad as Jared felt. “Hey,” Jared greeted, placing his tray on the table beside Misha's. “Crazy night last night, huh? How are you feeling today? You look almost as bad as I feel, so I hope you don't feel as bad as you look.”

Misha chuckled at Jared's words, pushing his hash browns around on his plate. “I feel worse,” he assured the younger man. “How was last night for you? Did you and Jensen...you know? Take it to the next level?” He waggled his eyebrows at Jared to make sure he got the message Misha was trying to pass along.

The last thing Jared wanted to talk about right now was his and Jensen's relationship. Or, well, the lack there of a relationship, anyway. Jared still wasn't sure where they stood. And since he basically threw up in Jensen's face this morning when he suggested Jared run his hands over his body, Jared was pretty sure they weren't going to be setting a wedding date any time soon. “Um...n-no, we didn't,” Jared answered sheepishly. “I was really drunk. Jensen just put me to bed.”

Almost as if it affected Misha, the older man shook his head sadly. “Man, that sucks,” he answered. “I'm sorry. I thought for sure giving you some liquid courage would get the job done. Should have known Jensen was too much of a gentleman to take advantage of you while you were incapacitated.”

Honestly, Jared wasn't sure how to take that comment. “Did you...get me drunk on purpose?” Jared asked, feeling a little angry at the idea. Jared didn't need alcohol to make a move on Jensen. He would do it himself when he was good and ready.

Without hesitation, Misha shook his head. “No, I just wanted to loosen you up a bit,” he explained. “You're the one who kept asking for drinks. And then I got drunk right along with you, and before I knew it, the bottle was empty and Vicki was putting me to bed.” Shoving some of his pancake into his mouth, Misha reiterated, “ _Not_ how I wanted the night to go, man.”

Yeah, that wasn't how Jared had wanted the night to go either. But he was sober now. And he wanted to sit Jensen down and have a long chat about how his feelings had changed since the first time he'd met Jensen. He had to find him first though. After all, it wasn't like Jensen had been very forthcoming with where he was headed this morning. “Hey, do you know where Jensen goes when he has to _run an errand_?” Jared asked, knowing that it was probably a long shot, but wanting to cover all of his bases.

Shrugging, Misha answered, “I guess it would depend on the errand, Jared. Did he give you anything else to go on?”

A small sigh escaped Jared at Misha's answer, the younger man shaking his head. “Not really,” he answered. “I mean, he kind of just told me to go get breakfast so I could get rid of my hangover and that he would meet me back in our room later today.” Chuckling, Jared explained, “He wants to take me to the cinema room later. He said I can pick the movie.”

Now, it was Misha's turn to smile. “Aww, isn't that sweet?” Misha teased, knocking shoulders with Jared. “Look, if he said he'd meet you later today, then you should just head back to your room. I'm sure he'll show up eventually.”

That was the problem. Jared didn't want him to show up eventually – he wanted him now. “Yeah, you're right,” Jared mumbled with a tight lipped smile. “I guess I'll just go wait for him there. I'm finished here.” Shooting Misha a quick goodbye, Jared headed out of the cafeteria. 

For some reason, Jared was compelled to take a different route to Jensen's room this morning. He'd been thinking about this _errand_ that Jensen was going to run all morning. And he started to wonder about how Jensen was getting his blood. After all, any idiot knew that if a vampire didn't feed, it would wear them down and it would weaken them. Jensen wasn't weak – and he never lost control like a starving vampire would.

So, Jared found himself in the donor wing, heart rate kicking up a notch as he searched the room. The people in here gave Jared the creeps. They all walked around like they were high, asking Jared if he wanted a taste. He had to push through the crowd a bit because they all started swarming around him. Finally, they seemed to get the hint that he was a human and they backed off, leaving Jared to concentrate on his task at hand. 

Slowly, Jared made his way to the back rooms, listening closely as he moved about the area. He could hear people talking – a woman, practically begging someone to feed from her. It made Jared sick. These people were all so desperate to be some random vampire's next meal – it was disgusting. 

The sound of a man's voice had Jared laser focused on the last room in the wing. He recognized that voice. It was Jensen. Horror crept into Jared's body at the thought of Jensen sucking some junkie's blood. But he wasn't going to jump to conclusions – he needed to see for himself if it was actually Jensen. Maybe his head was just playing tricks on him?

Without thinking, Jared pushed through the door, eyes immediately locking on Jensen. His heart sank when his suspicions were confirmed – Jensen was here. Jensen was looking for a fix from someone other than Jared, and it made Jared feel horrible.

Honestly, he wasn't even sure why. He'd never offered to let Jensen feed from him. And he knew the vampire had to eat. But that wasn't the point. He didn't want Jensen to eat from other people – he wanted Jensen to get everything he needed from him. But he hadn't told Jensen any of this. So there was no way Jensen could know what Jared's intentions were.

He heard Jensen say his name, but Jared wasn't in the mood to talk. Turning on his heels, Jared headed out of the den, quickly taking the stairs two at a time until he made it to the top floor . He practically ran to Jensen's room, opening the door and slamming it closed behind him. He'd heard Jensen following after him, and he knew that door wasn't going to keep him out, but Jared felt better about slamming it in his face anyway.

Too soon, Jensen walked into the room, allowing the door to fall closed behind him. “Jared,” he started, slowly moving to close the gap between the two of them. He could tell the younger man was pissed, but he had no idea why. He hadn't done anything wrong.

“Don't!” Jared warned, throwing his hand out in front him as he took a step back away from Jensen. Jared was in no mood for this right now. He didn't want Jensen anywhere near him. As far as he was concerned, Jensen was dirty – tainted. No amount of showering was going to get the filth that was now on him to go away. 

Sure, Jared knew that Jensen had to have done that in the past. Otherwise, he wasn't going to eat. But now that Jared was here, Jensen shouldn't have to go to those parts. All he had to do was ask Jared. He would have let him bite him – after his conversation with Misha, Jared probably would have let Jensen do just about anything to him. 

But not now. He just wanted to be left alone now. “Stop,” Jared ordered, moving back a step with each step forward Jensen took. “Jensen, I'm serious. Stay the hell away from me.” Jensen was trying to talk to him, but Jared didn't want to listen. He didn't want to hear any excuses about why Jensen had been there, and he sure as hell didn't want to hear about the experience itself. “Stay back!”

When Jensen continued to not listen, Jared grew angry. Before he knew what he was doing, Jared lashed out, fist connecting with Jensen's jaw. And damn, it felt good. Being able to take his frustration out on Jensen felt...amazing. Again, Jared threw fist, connecting with the other side of Jensen's face this time. 

Before Jared could land another punch, Jensen grabbed his wrist, stopping his movements. He'd allowed Jared two hits – that was enough. When Jared tried to throw a punch with his free hand, Jensen caught that wrist as well, gently pushing Jared backward until his back hit the wall. Once Jared was effectively pinned where Jensen wanted him, Jensen knew that he could finally talk to him. “Jared, stop it,” Jensen ordered gently when the younger man started struggling. “Stop. Just talk to me, baby. C'mon, relax.”

Anger bubbled up inside Jared when he realized that he was trapped here. Jensen was stronger than him, and until he wanted to let Jared go, he was stuck. “Don't call me that!” Jared hissed, trying to struggle against Jensen once more. “Not after what you did! Just let me go! I don't even wanna see you right now!”

What he did? Jensen was so confused. “Jared, what is it that you think I did?” he asked, pressing Jared against the wall a little harder when he started struggling again. “You're not too old to spank,” Jensen teased, waiting for Jared to do as he was told and just sit still.

The fact that Jensen was acting like he was innocent just pissed Jared off even more. When Jensen mentioned spanking him, Jared felt his cheeks heat. “Don't act like you didn't do anything!” Jared hissed. “I know what that place is. You were there feeding from that girl!”

So that's what Jared was mad about. Honestly, Jensen didn't know why Jared cared what he did with his mouth. After all, Jared wasn't offering up a vein for Jensen to indulge in. However, that didn't change the fact that Jared didn't know the whole story. “I didn't feed off Cindy,” Jensen assured the younger man. “I went there to talk to her. She's a close friend. And in the past, yes, a donor. But I haven't touched her since I got you.”

More than anything, Jared wanted to believe Jensen. But he had so many questions. “I heard what she was saying to you, Jensen!” Jared argued. “She was all but begging you to open her veins! And I've been here for _months_! There's no way you just haven't been eating for months, Jensen! I'm not stupid!”

While Jensen knew Jared wasn't stupid, the younger man sure as hell was acting like an idiot. “Yeah, she wanted me to feed from her!” Jensen confirmed. “She always does! But I always tell her no!” Shaking his head, Jensen caught Jared's gaze. “Do you honestly think I would do that? You know so much about vampires, so I know you have to be aware of how intimate a human sharing their blood with us can be!”

Yes, Jared was aware of that. Which is exactly why he was so pissed off right now. “Yeah, I'm well aware!” Jared spat. “But you can't just be starving yourself either. You'd be weak. You'd be out of your mind with blood lust, and you're not!”

“We have blood bags, Jared!” Jensen barked, becoming angry that the younger man still wouldn't believe him. He hadn't lied to Jared since they met, so he didn't understand why Jared thought he would do so now. “They taste like ass and I can barely choke them down, but that's what I've been doing to stay alive.” Taking a chance, Jensen released Jared's left wrist, his hand moving to cup Jared's cheek. Much to his surprise, Jared leaned into the touch. “I wouldn't do that to you. You're the _only_ human I wanna drink from, baby.”

As soon as Jensen's hand was on his cheek, Jared's eyes slipped closed, his body melting into Jensen's touch. He hated how jealous this whole thing was making him. But he was happy to know that Jensen hadn't just run off and drank from the first slut he could find. Without thinking, Jared used his newly freed hand to grip the back of Jensen's neck, tugging the vampire closer as he surged forward, crushing their lips together.


	9. Chapter Nine

A shocked gasp escaped Jensen when Jared kissed him. He'd been expecting more screaming. Maybe Jared throwing another punch. But this? This had been the farthest thing from his mind when he'd released Jared's wrist. Not that Jensen was complaining. Not at all. In fact, he was kind of scared in all honesty. Scared that if he made the slightest move, Jared would retreat again, and there was no telling when Jared would touch him like this again.

When the kiss broke, both men were panting out their breaths. Jared bit into his bottom lip, unable to bring himself to meet Jensen's gaze. He wasn't sure what he would see there. Was Jensen happy about the kiss? Or was he pissed off at Jared for trying to start a fight with him about nothing? Jared couldn't tell. He did know that Jensen didn't push him away when he kissed him though, so he was hoping that was a good sign. He also knew that Jensen hadn't really kissed him back, which he was hoping wasn't a bad sign.

Jensen was afraid to break the silence. Hell, he was afraid to _move_. Any little thing could spook Jared, and that's the last thing he wanted. But he had questions. He needed answers. Besides, it wasn't like Jared could get away – Jensen still had him pinned to the wall by his right wrist. Licking his lips, Jensen breathed, “What was that for?”

Breaths still panting out of him, Jared tried to process his thoughts. He wasn't sure what he'd been thinking. He hadn't even asked for permission. But Jensen had told him that he wanted to kiss him before, so Jared didn't think he needed permission. God, he was so confused. “I-I don't know,” Jared finally answered, shaking his head slowly. “I just...I wanted to. I...didn't think you'd mind.”

“I didn't mind,” Jensen assured the younger man, trying desperately to catch Jared's gaze. “I didn't mind at all. You can kiss me whenever you want to. You know that, right?” When Jared finally met Jensen's eyes, Jensen could see just how unsure the younger man was. “You don't have to ask to be sexual with me, Jay,” Jensen whispered. “You know I want it. You know I want _you_.”

He did know all of this. But for some reason, Jared felt very insecure all of a sudden. “I-I know,” Jared answered, his voice barely above a whisper. “I just...I don't...I've never...done this before.” His cheeks immediately heated up at the admission. Now Jensen knew his secret. And Jared wasn't sure how he felt about it. 

It was no surprise to Jensen that Jared had never been with a vampire before. Hell, when he'd gotten here, Jared had hated vampires. “I figured you've never been a vampire before,” Jensen chuckled softly. “But it's no different than being with a human, baby. It's just...more intense.”

Again, Jared's cheeks heated, causing Jensen to frown softly. “You've...been with a human before, right Jared?” Jensen asked, suddenly realizing that maybe Jared wasn't just talking about having sex with a vampire. When Jared tried to look away, Jensen caught his chin, forcing him to keep eye contact. “Are you a virgin, Jared?”

Great, now Jensen was going to make a big deal about it. And Jared didn't want to make a big deal out of it. He was still young! When the vampires had taken over, Jared had only been eighteen. And he hadn't even had a chance to explore his sexual desires by then – he'd still been trying to figure out if he wanted to go on a date with the prom queen, or if the prom king was more his style. And Jared had never been one to spread his legs for just anybody. “Yes,” he mumbled, closing his eyes as he sighed softly. “I am. I've just never...found anyone who I wanted to be with.”

Now that he knew Jared was a virgin, he was just more appealing to him. The fact that Jared was willing to do this now with him just meant that Jared deemed him worthy enough to give him his most intimate gift. “And...you wanna be with me?” Jensen asked, feeling hope swell in his chest at the thought.

In all honesty, yes, Jared wanted to be with Jensen. Sure, he'd spent most of the time that he'd been here at first trying to find an escape route, but now, he wanted nothing more than to stay here with Jensen. “Yes,” Jared answered, nodding emphatically. “I wanna be with you. I...realized it when you left me here with Vicki. She was...nice and she helped me put things into perspective.”

Barely able to suppress his excitement, Jensen leaned in and captured Jared's lips once more. “Good,” he breathed when the kiss broke. “I want to be with you, too. God, you have no idea how much I wanna be with you, Jared.” Slowly, Jensen released Jared's wrist, hands moving to slid down Jared's chest instead. “Let me have you, baby,” he all but begged. “I've waited so long. Please?”

Without hesitation, Jared nodded. “Yes,” he breathed, knowing this is what he wanted. He'd waited for Jensen, too. Sure, it hadn't been as long as Jensen had been waiting, but Jared had a feeling Jensen had more willpower than he did. After all, Jared had always been more interested in instant gratification. And he wouldn't have been mad if Jensen had taken advantage of him last night in his drunken state.

As soon as he had the green light, Jensen didn't waste any time. Again, he crushed their lips together, fingers groping at Jared's hoodie until he finally found the zipper. Dragging the zipper down, Jensen all but ripped the hoodie off of Jared's body, tossing it God only knew where in the room. He only broke the kiss when he had to, tearing Jared's wife beater off his body before resuming his previous devouring kiss. 

Jared had never seen Jensen like this. It was like he was desperate. Usually, Jensen was so composed – so in control of every situation. Honestly, Jared kind of liked him better like this. His hands groped at Jensen, fingers fumbling with the hem of Jensen's Henley. He wasn't as experienced as Jensen, which made him a lot less confident. 

Finally, Jensen broke the kiss, smiling softly at Jared. “You want this off?” Jensen asked, reaching behind himself and gripping his Henley between his shoulder blades. When Jared nodded, Jensen chuckled, tugging the fabric off his body and adding it to the clothing that was strewn all over the floor in the room. 

Seeing Jensen without his shirt on had Jared's body responding, his cock twitching in the confines of his sweat pants. Sure, he'd seen Jensen shirtless before, but for some reason, it felt different tonight. His eyes lingered on Jensen's newly exposed flesh, Jared biting into his bottom lip as he admired his vampire. 

It took all of his concentration to keep his hands from shaking as he reached for Jensen. His palms pressed flat against Jensen's abdomen, long fingers sliding up Jensen's torso. He was practically mesmerized as he watched his hands move over Jensen's skin, breaths panting out of him as he tried to control himself.

A small moan broke from Jared's throat when Jensen took his hand, pulling his arm upward before he pressed a kiss to Jared's wrist. Biting into his bottom lip, Jared watched as Jensen continued to kiss a path up his forearm, tongue darting out to lick the sensitive skin in the crease of Jared's elbow. When Jensen reached Jared's bicep, he nipped at the skin there, causing Jared to moan once more.

Without a word, Jensen tossed Jared's arm over his shoulder. His hands slid down Jared's sides, over his hips and ass to rest on the backs of his thighs. Jensen then used his superhuman strength to lift Jared off the ground as if he weighed nothing. Thankfully, Jared got the picture and wrapped his legs around Jensen's waist, his left hand slapping the wall above his head as his fingers dug into the solid plane behind him.

Now that he had Jared in his arms, Jensen turned and walked them toward the bed, depositing Jared onto the soft mattress. He smirked when Jared looked up at him in confusion, Jensen quickly tucking his thumbs into the waistband of Jared's boxers and sweatpants. With one tug, Jensen had the material off of Jared, throwing it out of his way without a second thought.

Once he had his human's clothes off, Jensen moved to do the same to himself, eyes remaining on Jared’s hard, naked body the entire time. God, he couldn’t believe this was happening! After waiting so long and now he was finally going to be able to have Jared the way he wanted him. And Jared wanted it too, which Jensen would have never guessed had it not been for tonight and the way Jared acted when he found Jensen talking to Cindy. 

His cock twitched with excitement as his eyes met Jared’s, the younger man's pupils blown so wide with his lust that his eyes looked nearly black. Wrapping his arms around his lover's thighs, he pulled Jared slightly closer to him before he dropped to his knees and dipped his head, kissing Jared's shaft once, then each of his balls before moving lower still, tongue pressing against Jared's tightly puckered hole. 

As Jared felt Jensen's lips pressing against his shaft, then balls, he moaned, head tilting back further, pressing his head into the plush mattress beneath him. However, when Jensen's tongue pressed against his hole, Jared jumped slightly, head lifting so he could look down at himself. "J-Jensen?" he asked, biting his lip, obviously unsure of what Jensen was doing.

"Shh...” Jensen whispered, tightening his grip on Jared so that he wouldn't wiggle away. "S'okay. Don't wanna use lube, baby. I wanna do this myself. Just relax, Jay. Gonna make you feel good." Slowly, he ran his tongue over Jared's hole again, this time thrusting against it slightly before pressing inside. 

Jared whimpered softly his hips pressing back against Jensen's tongue on their own accord, wanting to feel more of Jensen inside him. He'd heard of this before, but he'd obviously never done it. Jared couldn't wrap his head around how good Jensen was making him feel. His whole body was vibrating with pleasure, and he just prayed to whoever the hell was listening that he didn't blow his load too quickly and make himself look like an asshole.

Panting softly, Jensen pulled back, looking up at his human's face. "Put your feet on my shoulders, baby,” Jensen instructed. “It'll give you more control of the situation.” Once Jared's feet were pressed against his shoulders, Jensen dipped his head again, lapping at Jared's asshole once more. 

"Ungh..." Jared moaned, head rolling on the mattress as his breaths came out in short, shallow pants. It felt so good. His hand darted between his legs, curling in the soft strands of his vampire's hair as his free hand balled into a fist in the satin sheets beneath him. 

Jensen pointed his tongue, thrusting deep into Jared, lapping at him from the inside before he curled his tongue, smirking against Jared's hole as he heard his lover moaning and mewling beneath him. Finally, he pulled his tongue from inside Jared, running it over the younger man's hole once more, index finger coming up to press into Jared, Jensen using his spit to help ease the digit inside. 

Jared hissed in a breath, teeth clenched together as his eyes squeezed tightly closed. It hurt more than Jared thought it would. He'd done this a few times to himself when he'd been alone in warehouses and he needed to get off, but it had been so long since he'd had that opportunity. Jared focused solely on keeping his body relaxed so it didn't hurt as much, remembering that it helped when he'd done this to himself. 

"You okay?" Jensen asked, looking up at Jared's face to see if he needed him to stop. He really didn't want to, but the last thing he wanted was to hurt Jared. If necessary, he'd get the lube that was in his bathroom, but he _really_ didn't want to. 

Was he okay? Yes. No. Jared didn't know. On one hand, it hurt more than he would like. And he knew when Jensen kept going, the pain was only going to get worse before the pleasure sank in. But he wasn't willing to stop now. He wanted this. He'd been thinking about this for days. He wasn't about to deny himself this opportunity. "M'fine," Jared assured him, nodding. "K-Keep going."

Jensen returned Jared's nod, getting back to work on opening his human up. His finger slid in past the third knuckle before Jensen pulled it out, then thrust it back in, pressing deeper with each push. After a few seconds, Jensen crooked his finger to search for Jared's prostate, wanting to make this as pleasurable as possible for the younger man. . He knew he found it when his lover arched his body off the bed, moaning loud and deep. 

Smiling, Jensen added a second finger, tongue sliding in alongside his fingers to ease the way. Jensen's fingers continued to seek out and caress the small bundle of nerves inside his human's body, watching as Jared arched and writhed beneath him, the actions turning him on more than they should have. 

Jensen continued his ministrations until he had two, then three fingers inside his lover, stretching the younger man open so it wouldn’t hurt as badly when Jensen finally pushed his cock into Jared. Pulling back, he looked into Jared’s eyes, smiling at the younger man as he pressed his lips to Jared's ass cheek. 

When Jensen pulled back, Jared whimpered, missing the contact he’d just had with his vampire already. “Jensen, c’mon,” he whispered, bucking his hips up slightly in an attempt to get some much needed friction. However, another small whimper left him when he was met only with air. “J-Jensen, please?” Jared all but begged. “Kiss me. Please?”

As soon as Jared started begging for him, Jensen was lost. There was no way he couldn't do whatever the younger man was asking of him. Not when he was so desperate – so needy for Jensen. Quickly, he crawled on top of Jared, crushing their lips together. His tongue immediately pushed past Jared's lips and teeth, taking Jared's invitation to tangle with his own.

Pulling back slightly, Jensen spit into his palm, reaching down to stroke his cock, allowing his saliva to act as lube, figuring this and the rim job he'd just given Jared would be good enough. At least he sure as hell hoped so. If he had to stop after getting this far, Jensen was going to lose his mind. He wasn't sure he'd be able to control himself if that was the case. 

Gently, Jensen held Jared's hips in place as he slid his cock inside Jared's stretched hole. He made sure to go slow, sliding himself in inch by inch until he was buried balls deep so he didn't hurt Jared. It was so hard to hold still when he felt Jared's ass clenching around him. But he knew he had to. He had to give Jared time to adjust to the invasion before he just mindlessly fucked him.

Jared could see how much strain Jensen was putting on himself as he tried not to move – tried to give Jared time to adjust to his full length inside of him. It hurt so bad, Jared thought he was going to cry. Initially, it felt like he was being split in two. But Jensen wasn't moving, and Jared was thankful for the time to adjust. As he began to get used to the invasion, he rocked his hips a little, testing the waters, so to speak. There was still a dull ache – a slight burn – but Jared felt like he was ready. Slowly, he nodded. "Yeah, Jensen, come on, move."

Jared didn't have to tell Jensen twice. As soon as he heard the word _move_ , he pulled out just a little bit, thrusting back in slowly. Nice and gentle so he didn't hurt his lover. Slowly, Jensen picked up the pace, using the silent cues Jared was giving him as signs on whether or not he was doing a good job. 

He moaned as he felt Jared's short, blunt fingernails dig into his shoulders. "Are you okay, baby?" he asked, trying to be as gentle as possible. He knew Jared wasn't used to this, and that he was going to have to take it slow, but it was just so damn hard. And, really, it was all Jared's fault for being so fucking hot when he was in bed. 

Letting out the breath that he had been holding, Jared nodded again, pulling on Jensen's shoulders to get him closer as he rocked his hips, pushing his ass further down onto Jensen's hard cock inside of him. "Y-Yeah, Jensen, I'm fine." He moved his arms so that his left arm was on Jensen's back, palm flat in the center of it while his right arm wrapped around Jensen's neck, long digits tangling in his short hair. "I need you, Jensen. Please?" Roughly, Jared pulled Jensen's head downwards, locking their lips with brutal force. "Please, Jensen?" Jared begged as he broke the kiss, only to do it again, their teeth clacking together as Jared tried to devour him.

He knew exactly what Jared wanted. What he was begging for. And Jensen was going to give it to him. As the kiss was broken again, Jensen looked into Jared's eyes, seeing that his lover was pretty much taken over by his need for Jensen. "Jared, what do you need?" he asked, wanting to hear the younger man beg for it. Slowly, he dipped his head, kissing Jared's neck. "This?" he asked, allowing his lips to barely touch Jared's skin again, smiling as he heard his human moan. 

Removing his right hand from Jared's hip, he drug it across Jared's lower abdomen, slowly making his way to his lover's throbbing erection. Once his hand was where he wanted it, Jensen wrapped his fingers around Jared's hard shaft. Slowly, he stroked him, rubbing his thumb over Jared's slit before pivoting his wrist and sliding his hand back down. "Or is this what you want, Jared?" he asked, dropping his head so he could kiss Jared's collarbone. 

"Ungh...Jensen," Jared moaned, pushing the hand that was resting on Jensen's back down, effectively pressing Jensen's body closer to his. "Harder, Jensen," he ordered, feeling his release coming quickly with every stroke of Jensen's skilled hand. 

Jensen nodded, bracing himself by placing the hand that wasn't working Jared's shaft on the bed beside Jared's head. He thrust his cock in deeper, angling his hips so the tip of his dick hit Jared's prostate. He couldn't help but smile when Jared moaned in approval. With each thrust, the bed moved with them, slamming off the wall before moving back down to do it again in time with Jensen's brutal pace. 

Jared's hands were back on Jensen's shoulders now, and they were holding on with bruising force. Jensen knew that Jared was getting close. He could tell by the stuttering of the younger man's breaths and the way his heart rate kicked up a notch. Not to mention he could smell Jared's arousal growing in the air, wrapping around him and making his wild with lust. Jensen didn't even realize that his fangs had elongated until he heard Jared talking underneath him.

As soon as Jensen's fangs were exposed, Jared knew what he wanted. It wasn't a shock to him. He knew that in the heat of passion, vampires would often feed from their lovers. Hell, he'd asked Misha about it just a couple of nights ago. “You can if you want to,” Jared breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. “I...I want you to.”

The words hit him like a brick. Never in his wildest dreams did Jensen think Jared would actually _want_ him to bite him. Leaning in, Jensen crushed his lips against Jared's, careful not to draw blood with his fangs. “Are you sure?” he asked, fingers carding through Jared's hair as he searched the younger man's face for any signs of hesitation.

There was no doubt in Jared's mind that he wanted Jensen to feed from him. He'd been curious about it now for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity. “Yes,” he answered, nodding emphatically. “Do it. Please, Jen, m'close.”

The last thing he wanted was to disappoint Jared. Without another word, Jensen leaned in. His tongue slid along Jared's neck when the younger man exposed it to him. Damn, Jared tasted like sweat and sex, with a hint of vanilla underneath. Jensen could feel his orgasm approaching, and he wanted to cum while he was drinking from his lover. His palms pressed firmly against the bed on either side of Jared's head as he sank his fangs into his humans jugular.

When Jensen's fangs pierced his flesh, Jared gasped. A mixture of pain and pleasure washed over him as he allowed his eyes to slip closed, enjoying the sensations washing over him. “Ungh...J-Jensen,” he breathed, hands moving to grip at Jensen's back once more, fingers digging into his skin as he felt his balls drawing up tightly against his body.

Hot ropes of cum shot from Jared's dick, coating Jensen's belly and chest. Vaguely, Jensen felt the warm, sticky fluid, letting him know his lover had reached orgasm. Jared's inner muscles clenched around Jensen's cock, dragging Jensen over the edge with Jared. He felt Jared pushing lightly against him, his name falling from Jared's lips – it was time to stop drinking.

It took an unimaginable amount of strength to pull away from Jared, but Jensen managed. When Jared tried to reach for his wound, Jensen grabbed his hand, instead leaning in to lick away the stray droplets of blood pooling at the wound and threatening to leak all over his bed. “Thank you,” Jensen breathed against the shell of Jared's ear, trying to get the monster inside of him back under control.

“M'yours,” Jared whispered, rolling onto his side to face Jensen when the older man rolled off of him. “I will feed you as you see fit, remember?” Smirking, Jared rolled his eyes at Jensen's disbelieving expression. “You're right. But I wanted to. I mean, I can feed you as _I_ see fit, can't I?”

Slowly, Jensen ran his fingers through Jared's hair. It was a mess after their little adventures. And Jensen thought he was the sexiest thing he'd ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. “Baby, you should know by now that you can practically do anything you want to when it comes to me,” Jensen reminded, gladly welcoming the kiss Jared pressed to his lips.

The kiss broke after a few seconds, Jensen seeing how tired Jared looked. He'd had a big night – Jensen was surprised he wasn't already sleeping. “You look like you're ready to pass out, Jay,” Jensen whispered, pressing his chin against the top of Jared's head when the younger man cuddled in close to him.

Jared couldn't deny the fact that he was tired. This had been an exciting morning. And it wasn't even noon yet. Jared wasn't sure what the rest of the day held for him, but right now, he wanted to get a few hours of rest. “M'sleepy,” Jared mumbled, his fingers caressing up and down Jensen's side. “Just...wanna relax for a few hours. Stay with me?”

Tightening his grip on Jared, Jensen pulled the younger man impossibly closer. He couldn't help but smile when Jared wrapped his arm more tightly around him, fingers digging into his skin once more. “I'm not going anywhere, baby,” Jensen promised.

A small, sleepy smile came to Jared's lips when Jensen assured him he wasn't leaving. “Good,” he muttered, snuggling in impossibly closer. He shoved his leg between Jensen's, hooking their ankles together so that if Jensen tried to leave, he'd feel him untangling himself and wake up. “Love you,” he breathed softly before he allowed the pull of sleep to drag him under.

Another wide smile came to Jensen's lips when Jared whispered that he loved him. If it hadn't been for his vampire hearing, Jensen may have missed it Jared's voice had been so low. But Jensen knew what he heard, and he was over joyed. “I love you too, Jay,” he whispered back, settling into the mattress further. Jared was going to be out for a few hours, so Jensen knew he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Not that he wanted to. There was nowhere else in the world that he would rather be right now.


	10. Chapter Ten

Jared's breaths panted out in small, heated puffs as he pressed his head back into his pillow, trying to keep himself as relaxed as possible. A low groan escaped him as he bit into his bottom lip, trying to stifle the sounds coming from him. Because his eyes were squeezed tightly closed in pleasure, he didn't realize that the man assaulting him with his mouth and tongue stopped until his fingers were pressing against Jared's chin, pulling his lip from between his teeth.

“Don't try to hide how good it feels,” Jensen instructed, giving his head a small shake. “I want you to be loud. I like it when you're loud.” Leaning in, Jensen captured Jared's lips with his own, swallowing another moan elicited from his human.

When the kiss broke, Jared's breaths were once again panting out of him. “Don't stop,” he whispered, his voice almost pleading. “You promised, Jen. Please?” His hips lifted off the bed, grinding his erection into Jensen's thigh. “Please, babe?”

Jensen was well aware of what he promised. And if there was one thing Jensen prided himself on, it was that he kept his promises. “I know what I promised baby,” he assured the younger man. “And I always make nice on my promises. You know that.” Slowly, Jensen leaned in, pressing his lips against Jared's cheek and dragging them down to the younger man's neck before he sucked a bruise there. “Mine,” he growled, hands sliding down Jared's sides as he trailed his lips along Jared's torso.

Again, Jared's breaths started picking back up, anticipation causing his already hard cock to grow painfully harder. “Yes Jen,” Jared promised. “Yours. Always. Only yours. Please?” His hips jerked upward once more when Jensen reached his cock, Jared groaning softly when his vampire pinned him to the bed. “Jen...” he all but whined, head tossing back on the forth on the pillow.

A wide smile came to Jensen's lips when Jared whined his name. “You're so eager baby,” Jensen smiled. “All in good time. You know I'm not going to leave you hanging, Jay.” Jensen would never do that. He'd promised Jared that he was going to give him whatever he wanted this morning. And Jensen intended to do just that. But that hadn't meant that Jensen couldn't have a little fun with the younger man in the process.

Without warning, Jensen leaned forward, taking Jared's cock into his mouth all the way to the base. His fingers tightened around Jared's hips when his human tried to buck into his mouth, forcing Jared to keep still. Moaning lowly around the hard flesh in his mouth, Jensen hollowed out his cheeks. He couldn't help but smile around Jared's length when the younger man let out a loud, long groan. Not waiting for Jared to recover, Jensen swallowed around the head of his cock, watching Jared's face break out in a look of pure ecstasy. 

It had been years since Jensen had wanted to suck a cock, but if the look on Jared's face was any indication, he hadn't lost his touch. Wrapping his hand around the base of Jared's dick, Jensen slowly slid off, leaving just the tip in his mouth before he slid back down just as slowly. Again, he moaned around Jared's flesh, his hand chasing after his mouth as he set a god pace. 

The fact that he couldn't buck his hips was really upsetting Jared. Jensen was just teasing him, and he needed more. Hell, Jared wasn't even sure what he needed at this point, but he knew that he needed _more_. “Jen...” he breathed between moans, biting into his bottom lip to try to keep himself grounded. Slowly, his hands slid down the mattress until he could reach Jensen's head, fingers carding through the short strands of Jensen's hair.

His eyes ticked up to meet Jared's when the younger man's hands were in his hair. A small, seductive smile came to Jensen's lips as he released Jared's hip with his remaining hand. The look in his eyes warned Jared not to move his hips off the bed. Luckily, Jared was obedient. Well, when he wanted something, anyway. 

Another moan slid from Jared's throat as Jensen continued working on his cock. He knew he wasn't going to last much longer. “J-Jensen...” he breathed, eyes squeezed tightly closed as he felt his lover's fingers trailing over his thigh toward his knee. “Please...Jen....m'gonna cum.”

At Jared's warning, Jensen gripped the base of the younger man's cock. He ignored it when Jared whined in protest, instead pulling off Jared's dick with a wet _pop_. With his free hand, Jensen shoved Jared's right thigh, forcing his legs open wide. Baring his newly elongated fangs, Jensen leaned in, sinking his teeth into Jared's femoral artery. As he did, Jensen released his grip on Jared's cock, hand moving to wrap around Jared's knee instead as he drank deep.

As soon as Jensen's hand released him, Jared felt his balls draw up tight against his body. He cried Jensen's name as his orgasm hit him. His hand found it's way back to Jensen's head, fingers grasping at the short cropped strands. Only when he was panting out his breaths, completely sated did Jensen pull off. Jared could feel his own blood trickling from the wounds in his leg, but he couldn't bring himself to care all that much at the moment.

Using the back of his hand to wipe the blood from his lips, Jensen slid back up Jared's body, fitting himself in the space on the bed directly beside Jared. Smiling down at the younger man, Jensen nuzzled against Jared's neck, nose pressing against Jared's jaw. “So?” he asked, hot breath fanning over Jared's overly sensitive skin. “Was it everything you thought it would be?”

Breaths still panting out of him, Jared let out a breathy chuckle. “More,” he answered, shooting a smile in Jensen's direction. Misha had told Jared that allowing a vampire to bite you in the femoral artery during sex was good, but he'd downplayed how damn euphoric it was. Jared was just upset that he and Jensen hadn't started doing this sooner. “M'hungry,” Jared muttered, rolling onto his side so he was facing Jensen. “And I need juice.”

When Jared mentioned that he needed juice, his bottom lip slightly protruded outward. Chuckling softly, Jensen leaned in, capturing that lip between his teeth. “You're adorable when you're pouting,” Jensen complimented before he rolled off the bed and made his way to the dresser.

“Do you want me to take care of you before you head out?” Jared asked, eyes raking over Jensen's naked body. His back was turned to him, so Jared took the opportunity to try and memorize every little freckle on Jensen's shoulders before he took a minute to admire Jensen's fine ass. 

A small smirk came to Jensen's lips when Jared offered to help him out. “No baby, I'm good,” he assured the younger man. “This was for you.” Once he had a pair of jeans, Jensen turned to Jared as he stepped into the denim. “You can take care of me later.” Jeans in place, Jensen grabbed a black Henley and tugged it on before he moved to the bed once more, taking seat next to Jared. Cupping the younger man's cheek, Jensen gently brushed his thumb along Jared's cheekbone. “You need to eat so you can get your strength back up. Me feeding from you takes a lot outta you, baby.”

Although Jared knew that Jensen was right, he was kind of disappointed that he wasn't going to be able to make Jensen cum. He rather enjoyed that part now. “And my juice,” Jared pouted once more. A wide smile came to Jared's lips when Jensen assured him that he wouldn't forget his juice. Jared had grown pretty fond of the orange juice they had here. “Hurry back!” Jared called out as Jensen headed to the door, settling into the mattress once more when Jensen closed the door behind himself.

**~~**

Jared breathed deeply through yet another set of push-ups. He'd been pushing himself harder lately – trying to see how far he could go. So far, he was pleased with his results. And if the way Jensen leered at him and ran his hands all over his body most days was a sign, Jensen was pretty pleased with Jared's progress as well. 

After fifty, Jared gave it a rest. He still needed to get his cardio in before Jensen got here and took him away from his workout. Jensen wanted Jared to watch some movie with him tonight that was supposed to be really funny. Jared didn't remember the name of it, but he'd agreed. After all, it wasn't like they could spend all of their free time hiding in Jensen's bed. Well, they could, but Jared imagined people would start to wonder where they were. 

Besides, Jared was trying to branch out and give himself some space from Jensen. The last thing he needed was for Jensen to leave on one of his super top secret vampire missions and leave Jared a blubbering mess of emotions. Spending every waking minute with Jensen was a bad idea in that sense. And sure, he would probably spend time with Misha and Vicki when Jensen was gone, but it wasn't the same. 

Sighing, Jared moved to the treadmill, setting a good pace. He didn't want Jensen to leave again. He knew that eventually, it would happen, but Jared didn't want it to happen. Of course, the last time Jensen left him, he'd promised that he wouldn't leave again for a very long time. But that could mean something completely different to Jensen than it did to Jared. And if the elders wanted him, could Jensen tell them no? Jared didn't know if there was a rule book, or something. 

But he was getting ahead of himself. Jensen hadn't even said anything about leaving, and here he was making up scenarios in his head. He always did this. Bumping up the speed, Jared focused more on his workout than his made up scenarios, finishing the run strong.

Once he was finished, Jared wiped the sweat from his brow and headed out of the rec room. Out of the corner of his eye, Jared saw what looked like a familiar face walking down the hallway. “Jeff?” Jared asked, brows knit in confusion as he stared at the stranger. “Jeff?!” he called out, starting to jog toward the retreating form. “Hey, wait up!”

As he ran after the man he was now convinced was his brother, Jared wasn't paying attention to anything around him. He wanted to talk to this man – he _needed_ to know if it was indeed Jeff, or if his mind was just playing tricks on him. Unfortunately, before he could catch up to the man, he disappeared through a set of French doors. Jared had never been to this part of the mansion before, but he wasn't about to let that stop him. 

Just as he was about to walk through the doors, someone grabbed his arm, yanking him away from the doors. “What the fuck do you think you're doing?” Jared heard Jensen ask as he was pulled further away from the doors. Jared struggled to break free of Jensen's hold, but the vampire wasn't budging. He looked pissed, and Jared couldn't understand why. 

“Ow, Jensen, stop,” Jared protested, finally yanking his arm out of the vampire's grasp. He wanted to follow after the man who resembled his brother, but Jensen was standing between him and the door now. “What is this place?” Jared asked, eyes taking in the large doors behind Jensen. “What's behind these doors, Jensen?”

Honestly, Jensen didn't know what was so damn important to Jared that he wanted to know about this room. He'd seen Jared leaving the rec room, and he'd been about to intercept him when the younger man started running after someone else and ignoring Jensen. And Jensen _hated_ being ignored. “It's the masses, Jared,” Jensen answered, confusion clear on his face. “Why do you care? You shouldn't even fucking be down here. You don't belong anywhere near this room.”

The masses? Jared remembered Jensen telling him about that place. It was basically where unwanted humans went to rot. And as far as Jared was concerned, his brother was in that room. “Jen, you have to let me go in there,” Jared pleaded. “I think I saw my brother, Jensen. He went in there. I have to know.”

Without hesitation, Jensen shook his head. He didn't care if he Jared thought he saw Jesus walk into that room. Jared wasn't going anywhere near those doors. “Absolutely fucking not,” Jensen argued. “Do you understand that vampires go in there and take whatever the hell they want?! They won't see your tattoo since you keep it covered all of the time. Not until it's too late. And I don't feel like having to go through a trial because I ripped some asshole's head clean off his shoulders over you.” Again, Jensen grabbed Jared's elbow, leading him away from the door.

When Jensen tried to get him away from the door again, Jared struggled. Hearing Jensen's description of the room made it so much worse. If that was his brother, Jared couldn't let him stay in there to suffer. “Jensen, no, stop it!” Jared argued, struggling against his vampire's hold on him. “You don't understand, Jensen! If that was my brother, I have to help him! Jensen, he can't stay in there!”

Jensen didn't really care if the man Jared had seen was his brother. Jeff had been taken _years_ ago – if Jared had seen his brother, he was a changed man at this point. The masses did things to humans. Even the strongest ones were broken down after a few months. “Jared, you're not going in there! Now, stop it!” Jensen argued, grip tightening on Jared's arm when the younger man fought against him harder.

Pain flared through Jared's arm when Jensen tightened his grip. “Ow, dammit, Jensen, you're hurting me!” Jared yelled, rubbing the skin on his arm as soon as Jensen let him go. Once he was free, Jared tried to move to the doors again, but Jensen immediately blocked him. “Jensen, let me go. He's my family. I need to know if it's him.”

Although Jensen didn't want to upset Jared, he needed to make the younger man understand what happened to people in there. “Even if it is your brother, he's not the same man you knew,” Jensen explained. “That place fucks with people. And I'm sure your brother was a strong guy, but even the strongest people only last a few months. If that's Jeff, he's been in there for _years_. Your brother's gone, Jared. I'm sorry.”

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Even if Jensen was telling the truth, Jared needed to see it for himself. “Jensen, I need to know,” Jared argued once more. Shooting Jensen his best puppy dog eyes, Jared pleaded, “I need to see Jeff for myself. If there's even a small chance that he's okay, I need to help him. Please?”

There was no small chance Jeff was okay. Hell, Jensen wasn't even convinced Jared had seen Jeff. Sure, he knew that when they caught him, they hadn't killed him. But Jensen hadn't kept up with the other Padalecki son. He'd only been interested in Jared. Honestly, he hadn't cared what happened to his brother. But Jensen was powerless against Jared's pleas. “Fine,” he ground out. “But I'm going in with you. And you don't leave my side. Do you understand me?”

Relief flooded through Jared when Jensen finally agreed to let him walk into that room. “Yes, I understand,” Jared assured the vampire. “Thank you, Jensen.” Smiling, Jared leaned forward, crushing his lips against his vampire's. A low moan escaped him when Jensen deepened the kiss, strong fingers carding through Jared's shaggy hair. When Jensen broke the kiss and warned him once more not to leave his side, Jared nodded. “I wont, Jensen. I promise.”

Moments later, Jensen opened the doors leading to the masses. Jared's jaw dropped when he saw the state of most of the people in this room. They looked awful. They were all pale and everyone looked like they'd been drained of their will to live. Swallowing thickly, Jared searched the room for his brother. He couldn't imagine Jeff being in here wearing that same look. His brother had always been so vibrant and happy – surely, he wouldn't have been reduced to something like this. Honestly, Jared wished that he'd been hallucinating. He wished that Jeff was dead – that was better than this.

After a few minutes, Jared's eyes landed on a familiar face. The face which once held so much joy and laughter was now void of emotion. Jared felt tears sting the backs of his eyes as he stared at his brother. “Jen,” he breathed, barely able to hold back the sob that wanted to break from his throat. “I need to go talk to him. Please?”

Jensen wasn't letting Jared go further into this room. Quickly, he grabbed Jared's wrist, preventing the younger man from moving away from him. “He can come to you,” Jensen argued. His eyes caught the guard in the room, Jensen relaying the message that he wanted to see Jeff. After a few moments, Jeff was shoved in front of them, the broken human falling to his knees in submission.

When his brother all but crumbled to the floor in front of him, Jared almost broke out into tears. “Oh God,” he breathed, his voice barely audible. “Jeff?” His brother didn't respond – made no indication that he'd even heard Jared speak. Slowly, Jared dropped to his knees in front of Jeff, his hands moving to grip his brother's bare shoulders. “Jeff...it's me. Jared. Your brother. Do you remember me?”

Slowly, Jeff's eyes moved to meet Jared's. Realization crept over Jeff's features as he stared at Jared. After a moment, once his eyes adjusted, Jeff shook his head. “No,” he murmured, his actions becoming more violent. “No, Jared, you can't be here. You need to get the hell out of here.” His eyes ticked around the room like he was manic, Jeff starting to rock back and forth slightly. “I figured it out. Once they stop focusing on you for a little while, you can learn the layout. But...there's no way out. This place is locked up tight. There's only one way out.”

Hearing Jeff ramble on and on, Jared felt his heart break a little more. His hands that had been knocked away when Jeff started rocking quickly found his brother's shoulder's again, Jared trying to steady the older man. “Stop, Jeff, just relax,” Jared instructed. Gently, Jared gripped Jeff's elbows and helped him to his feet. He never took his eyes off his brother. “Jeff, this is Jensen,” Jared introduced. “He can help you. He can get you out of here.”

Before the sentence was even out of Jared's mouth, Jensen growled softly, his hand moving to grab Jared's arm as he tugged the younger man away from his brother. “I can't get him out of here,” Jensen hissed, angry that Jared would just assume these things. “Vampires are only allowed to own one human at a time. Jeff was sent here for some reason, and unless I want to take him on as my human, I can't help him.”

Once again, Jared felt tears pricking at the backs of his eyes. How could he just leave his brother here? He couldn't. There was no way. Now that he knew Jeff was here, Jared needed to get him out of this place. “Jensen, please?” Jared begged, eyes pleading with his lover's. He could hear Jeff mumbling behind him, but he had no idea what was being said. It sounded like his brother was babbling nonsense, which was even more of a reason to get him out of here.

“Jared, what do you want me to do?” Jensen asked, unsure of how he could get Jared to understand that he wasn't allowed to own two humans at the same time. For some reason, his words just weren't sinking in to the younger man's head. “I physically am not allowed to take him out of this room unless I am claiming him. And I'm not doing that. I have you. I don't need him.”

Anger bubbled up inside Jared when Jensen spoke about his brother that way. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe _I_ need him, Jensen?” Jared spat. “He's my _brother_! How can you expect me to just leave him here like this?! He clearly needs help!”

There was no doubt in Jensen's mind that Jeff needed help. But not the kind of help that either he nor Jared could provide. “Jared, my hands are tied here,” Jensen argued. “I can ask around and see if there is anyone I know who isn't already a Master who would be willing to do me a favor, but other than that, I can't do anything for him.”

Again, Jared felt consumed with anger. But not at Jensen – at this whole damn system they seemed to have. “Okay,” Jared mumbled. “Please do that. I can't leave him here like this, Jensen. He wouldn't want this. He would want to be able to live his life like a normal guy. You know, like me and Misha are able to live our lives.”

Biting into his bottom lip, Jared turned his attention back to his brother. Jeff was still mumbling, and Jared thought that he heard him say something about getting out of here – something about getting them both out of here. Intrigued, Jared leaned closer, trying to hear more of what his brother was saying.

_The only way out of here is to die. Can't leave Jared here with this blood sucker. Need to save my brother. And then myself. Need to save my brother. And then myself._

Jared barely had time to comprehend what Jeff was saying before Jensen's hands were on him. Jared grunted in pain as he fell to the floor, Jensen landing on top of him as a pained groan from Jensen filled Jared's ears. 

Everything seemed like it was happening in slow motion around him. Jared watched as the guards grabbed his brother, restraining him as Jeff fought with everything he had in him. His right hand was dripping red, leaving drops on the floor as he struggled against the men holding him. Jared then felt warm, sticky wetness bleeding into his wife beater. When he looked down, all Jared saw was red. 

Slowly, Jared tried to move, but Jensen was still on top of him. “Jen?” Jared asked, gently pushing at his lover. “Jensen, there's blood,” Jared explained, eyes widening with fear. Had he been wounded? Jared didn't feel hurt. He felt fine. That's when he saw the blade sticking out of Jensen's lower back. And realized that Jensen wasn't moving. “Jen,” Jared tried again, hands moving to gently push his vampire off him and onto his side on the floor. “Jensen?” Still no answer. Cupping Jensen's cheek with one hand, Jared shook him with his other hand once more. “Jen!”


	11. Chapter Eleven

His whole world felt like it was turned upside down. One minute, he was in the gym thinking about how much he didn't want Jensen to leave him again, and the next, he was covered in Jensen's blood, and the vampire wasn't responding to him. “Jensen, please wake up?!” Jared begged, shoving at Jensen once more.

After he put more force into it, that seemed to pull Jensen out of whatever state he was in. Jensen quickly sucked in a deep breath, eyes shooting open as he pushed onto his elbow. A pained grunt escaped him as he moved, causing Jensen to groan with aggravation. It took him less than a second to see that Jared looked scared out of his mind, Jensen's brain catching up quickly. 

He'd been stabbed. Jared's brother had stabbed him in the back with some kind of knife. _Silver_ – Jensen could feel it coursing through his veins. He needed to get out of here. He needed to get Jared home where he could feed safely. “M'fine,” Jensen whispered, trying not to let everyone in the room see how much pain he was actually in as he ripped the blade from his body. “Baby, look at me.” When Jared did as he was told, Jensen locked eyes with the younger man, pleading with him. “We need to leave.”

For a second, Jared was torn. His brother was still in this place. Hell, his brother was in an even worse position now because he had guards dragging him off to who the hell knows where! But Jensen was hurt. And Jensen was all but begging Jared to leave with him. Sure, Jared knew that Jensen could demand it, and technically, Jared would have to go. But he wouldn't make him do that. Jensen needed him. And if Jared wasn't mistaking, Jensen had just saved his life – from his _brother_.

Without protest, Jared pushed himself to his feet, discreetly helping Jensen do the same. Once they pushed through the double doors and Jared was sure they were out of earshot, he started firing off questions that were popping into his head. “Are you okay?” he asked, allowing his vampire to slump against him now that no one was around. “What's happening to you? Why aren't you healing?” As far as Jared knew, vampires were supposed to heal pretty much instantly – unless there was something preventing them from doing so. 

Fear slammed into Jared at the thought of Jensen not being okay. It was his fault they'd been in there at all. Jensen hadn't wanted to go in there, but Jared had pushed. He'd refused to take no for an answer because he was trying to save his brother, and look what happened! Jensen was hurt – probably seriously – and all Jared wanted to do was go back in time and just walk away when Jensen told him to.

“Silver,” Jensen breathed, leaning into Jared further as his strength seemed to drain out of him. He wasn't going to make it to their room. “Stop,” Jensen mumbled, muffling a cough as he moved toward the wall, pulling Jared along behind him as best as he could. There was a room hidden in the basement that Jensen could get to from here. He and Jared would be safe there. 

It took Jensen a few minutes to find the door, but once he did, he ushered Jared through it. Once they were both in the room, Jensen closed the door, throwing the lock into place. “Poisoned,” Jensen breathed, shoving Jared against the wall. “Need to feed.”

When Jensen shoved him into the small room, Jared started to panic. This reminded him of the room Jensen had tossed him in when he'd first gotten him – when Jared had been defiant. His heart rate kicked up in his chest a notch, Jared trying to keep from hyperventilating. He didn't want to be thrown into another dark room alone. He couldn't handle it. That had been torture. “Jensen,” he breathed, grunting softly when the older man shoved him into the wall. “What're you—” 

He was cut off by Jensen's explanation that he had been poisoned. That explained why he wasn't healing. Quickly, Jared nodded, letting Jensen know that he understood. Turning his head to the right, Jared exposed his neck, figuring getting blood from the jugular was going to be a lot faster than any other vein since it was so large. “Here babe,” Jared whispered, hand moving to fist in Jensen's short cropped hair. “Drink. Take what you need.”

As soon as Jared's neck was exposed, Jensen pounced. His teeth sank into Jared's flesh, pulling blood from Jared mouthful after mouthful. When Jared's hands gripped his biceps, Jensen shoved them off with a growl. Immediately, Jensen gripped Jared's wrists, slamming them against the wall on each side of Jared's hips. He could feel the poison leaving his system as he drank, paying attention to Jared's heartbeat to make sure he wasn't taking too much. 

After a few more gulps, Jensen pulled back, not wanting Jared to be too weak. His fangs retracted almost instantly. Jensen felt a lot better now. Not giving Jared the chance to recover, Jensen surged forward, crushing their lips together in a heated, desperate kiss. His hands moved to fist in Jared's shaggy chestnut locks, using his grip to maneuver Jared where he wanted him as he shoved his tongue into Jared's mouth in a heated dance.

The kiss caught him by surprise, Jared moaning softly against Jensen's lips. He could feel the desperation behind the kiss, and Jared couldn't blame Jensen – he wanted him, too. It was still so odd to him how much Jensen drinking from him turned him on – Jared never would have thought he'd be turned on by being a human blood bag. Yet, here he was, kissing Jensen back with everything he had in him. “Jensen,” he breathed when the kiss broke, pressing his forehead against Jensen's as the older man scratched his short, blunt nails against Jared's scalp. “Please?”

Without a word, Jensen gripped Jared's hip, flipping him so that he was facing the wall. Roughly, he pulled Jared's hips back against him, groaning softly when Jared's ass connected with his groin. “Jared,” he moaned, lips closing around the younger man's exposed shoulder. “I wanna fuck you...hard,” Jensen explained hips rutting against Jared's ass. “Can I, baby? Please?”

Jared didn't even think before he was nodding. “Yes, please, Jen,” Jared breathed, feeling like his whole body was on fire. He wanted Jensen more than he could put into words. When Jensen yanked down his pants, Jared felt his heart hammering in his chest – he couldn't wait to have Jensen inside him. “Fuck...” he groaned when Jensen's lips closed around the wound in his neck, Jensen's tongue teasing the punctures. “Jensen...need you. Please?”

Hearing Jared practically beg for him had Jensen moaning against his human's flesh. He was glad that Jared hadn't showered yet today. That meant that there was a chance Jared was still open and wet from their little encounter this morning. Which worked in Jensen's favor because he didn't have any lube. Spit was just going to have to do it.

He made sure to coat his dick with a lot of saliva, spitting into his hand and stroking himself multiple times before he finally lined himself up with Jared’s entrance. Jensen kept his movements slow as he sank into Jared’s body, knowing that he hadn’t taken the time to properly stretch Jared, so there was a risk of tearing him if he just rammed into him like he wanted to. It felt like torture, slowly sliding in inch by inch, but he eventually had himself buried to the hilt, his movements stopping completely until he received confirmation from Jared that this wasn’t too much and he was ready for him to move.

Not using lubricant was definitely new to Jared. And the lack of preparation was even newer. Sure, he wasn't a virgin to sleeping with men – he and Jensen had done this multiple times in the last few months – but they'd never done it like this. Luckily, Jensen was moving slowly, otherwise, Jared didn’t think he would have been able to take it.

Hissing in slight pain when Jensen finally bottomed out against him, Jared clenched his jaw and just waited for his body to get used to the invasion. It took a little longer than he would have liked, but eventually, when he wiggled his hips back against Jensen, it didn’t hurt as much anymore. “O-Okay Jensen, m’good,” he mumbled, giving his head a small nod. “Move…you-you can move now.”

Jensen didn’t need to be told twice. Still keeping his movements slow, Jensen pulled out a little before sliding back in. He continued that rocking motion, sliding out a little further each time until he was pulling out almost all the way before slamming back into Jared. His fingers were leaving bruises on Jared’s hips from how tightly he was holding onto him, he was sure, but that wasn’t enough to make Jensen stop. After all, Jared wasn’t complaining about it, and he seemed to be enjoying himself, so why spoil the moment?

It felt amazing. Honestly, Jared was enjoying the rough treatment a lot more than he thought he would. Of course, he would have preferred it if they were facing each other, but he’d deal with this position too. At least he got to _feel_ Jensen moving inside him – that was always his favorite part. Sure, sex with other people had been pretty decent, but nothing compared to this. Jared was sure that it was because he had an emotional connection to Jensen, but he wasn't about to get into that. The last thing he needed was Jensen to make fun of him for his emotions. 

Pressure and heat were coiling in Jared’s belly – he wasn’t going to last much longer with the way Jensen’s cock was nailing his prostate with each push. He just needed one thing to give him that final shove over the edge. Reaching back with one hand, Jared gripped Jensen’s hand and tried to pull it from his hip. “J-Jensen…touch me. M’close…please?” he begged, trying to maneuver Jensen’s hand so that it was almost touching his rock hard erection.

This was perfect. Jared was so damn tight and his inner muscles were squeezing Jensen’s dick just right. There was no way he was going to last long. He was too caught up in his own feelings and sensations that he didn’t realize what Jared was asking until Jared's grip on his wrist tightened, the younger man practically whining in front of him. Quickly, he wrapped his hand around Jared's cock, groaning softly as watched Jared's head fall forward in pleasure. “You like that, Jay?” he asked, speeding up the rocking motions of his hips.

“Oh my God, Jen, yes,” Jared gasped in pleasure. He felt like his whole body was on fire. Rocking his hips back to meet Jensen's every thrust, Jared arched back, allowing his head to rest on Jensen's shoulder as he felt his orgasm springing up on him. A deep groan of pleasure escaped his lips as his orgasm hit him, his warm, sticky fluid coating Jensen's hand and splashing against the wall.

When Jared came, his inner muscles clenched around Jensen just tight enough to drag his own orgasm from him. As he came, Jensen gripped Jared's hair, cranking the younger man's neck at an awkward angle so he could crush their lips together. A loud moan was ripped from Jensen's throat to be swallowed up in their kiss. After all, these walls weren't sound proof – anyone walking by could hear them and know what they were doing. 

As his orgasm subsided, Jensen leaned against Jared, catching his breath while his cock slowly softened. Only after his legs no longer felt like Jell-O did he pull back. He fastened his jeans and just watched as Jared silently dressed himself as well. Once Jared was dressed, Jensen pushed the door open, leading them back into the hallway so they could go back to their room. “Are you okay?” Jensen finally asked, cupping Jared's cheek so he could get a better look at the wound on the younger man's neck. “Not bleeding anymore?”

Slowly, Jared shook his head. “No, m'okay,” Jared assured his vampire. “Are you?” Biting into his bottom lip, Jared reached for Jensen's Henley, pushing up the fabric as he searched for the wound. It was completely gone, but there was still a red, raised patch of skin where the blade had penetrated Jensen's skin. It look almost like a scar. 

A small moan escaped Jensen when Jared's fingers brushed over the tender flesh of his side. There was still a slight twinge of pain where the blade had been, but for the most part, Jensen was healed. “It's fine,” Jensen assured the younger man. “It's practically healed already. Thanks to you.” Taking Jared's hand in his own, Jensen tugged the younger man toward the end of the hallway. “C'mon, let's just get back to my room. I need a shower.”

**~~**

A few days had passed since Jensen had been injured, and Jared hadn't seen him much. Honestly, Jared was starting to wonder if Jensen blamed him for his injury. Jared wouldn't have been surprised. After all, it had been his fault. If he hadn't been so interested in finding his brother, Jensen never would have been in there.

Sighing, Jared rolled onto his side, smiling softly when he realized that Jensen was in the bed with him. Throwing his arm over Jensen, Jared cuddled up against the vampire, breathing in his familiar scent. Gently, Jared pressed kisses against Jensen's shoulder, moving to press his lips against Jensen's collar bone, then his chest. 

His eyes ticked up to Jensen's face when he felt the older man's hand on the back of his head, fingers fisting in Jared's hair. Slowly, Jared smiled, moving to suck Jensen's hardened nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue. Once he felt that he'd given that nipple enough attention, Jared moved to its twin, moaning softly as Jensen scratched his short nails against his scalp. He loved it when Jensen pet him like that.

When he felt like he'd properly lavished attention to Jensen's nipples, Jared slid lower, kissing and sucking at Jensen's flesh as he made his way down the vampire's abdomen. However, before he could reach his destination, Jensen jerked on his hair, coaxing him back up his body.

Before Jared had a chance to speak, Jensen crushed their lips together. He used the hand he had in Jared's hair to maneuver the younger man's head the way he wanted it, tongue shoving past Jared's lips and teeth to tangle with Jared's own in a dance for dominance which he won. With his free hand, Jensen gripped Jared's thigh, pulling at Jared's leg until he had the younger man straddling his thighs.

Only when Jared needed to breathe did he break the kiss, pressing his forehead against Jensen's as his breaths panted out of him. “Morning,” Jared breathed, smiling at his vampire. “I missed you last night. What time did you get in? I didn't even hear you.”

“You were out,” Jensen explained. “I didn't want to wake you.” Leaning in, Jensen pressed his lips to Jared's gently. “You looked so beautiful. And I know you've been tired, so you need your sleep, lover.” His hands trailed up Jared's back, fingertips pressing lightly against Jared's smooth skin. “It was late. I had some things to handle.”

Jensen had never been very forthcoming with information regarding his _vampire things_. But that didn't stop Jared from prying. “What kinds of things?” Jared asked, pressing his ass back against Jensen's growing erection. “You've been dealing with things a lot over the last few days. I've barely seen you.” Fisting his hands in Jensen's hair, Jared jerked gently so that Jensen was looking up into his eyes. “You haven't been sleeping with me, Jen.”

A low growl escaped Jensen when Jared jerked on his hair. Roughly, Jensen gripped Jared's hips, holding him down as he ground against Jared's ass. “I sleep with you every night,” he assured the younger man. “You just don't see me here. I've been working. The elders have me very busy after everything that happened with your brother, Jay.”

At the mention of Jeff, Jared frowned deeply. “What do you mean?” Jared asked, suddenly not feeling all that horny. He tried to crawl off Jensen's lap, but the vampire wasn't having it. Jensen's grip tightened on Jared's hips when he tried to move, so Jared knew he wasn't about to get out of this position any time soon. 

As soon as he mentioned Jeff, Jensen felt the shift in Jared's body. He knew the younger man wasn't in the mood for sex anymore, and honestly, Jensen wished he would have just kept his mouth shut about it. “Jay, don't worry about it,” he tried to placate. However, the bitch look Jared shot at him let Jensen know he wasn't getting out of that. “Look, baby, your brother is in a lot of trouble. He _stabbed_ me. With a silver knife, nonetheless. They're not just going to let him get away with that. They're probably going to make an example out of him.” Biting into his bottom lip, Jensen tried to change the subject. “C'mon baby, let's not think about that right now. I want you. Please?”

How could Jensen think Jared wanted sex at a time like this? His brother was in trouble? And Jensen was acting like it was just another Tuesday?! “Jensen, you just told me that my brother is in a lot of trouble. And you expect me to just...spread my legs for you, and forget about it? He's my family, Jensen.”

“ _I'm_ your family,” Jensen corrected, trying to ignore the pang of hurt that shot through his body at Jared's words. “Jeff was out of line! He tried to kill you! If I hadn't been watching him, that blade would have gone through your gut instead of mine! They're not going to let that slide! If they do, the humans will think they can rise up without any consequences!”

It was clear that Jared had hurt Jensen with his words. That hadn't been his intention. “Jen, I know you are,” he assured the vampire. “But you have to understand that he's my family, too. I...I can't just sit back and let the elders _make an example out of him_. Jensen, please? You have to do something.”

Do something? Jensen was doing something. He was testifying in front of the elders and telling them the damn truth so he could keep Jared safe. But he knew Jared wouldn't appreciate that. Jared wanted him to _save_ Jeff. Little did Jared know, there was no saving him. Jeff was gone – at least the man Jared knew, anyway. All that was left was the broken, dangerous man Jared had seen in the masses.

Gently, Jensen gripped Jared's hips, all but picking the younger man up and depositing him onto his side of the bed. “I am doing something,” he assured Jared, leaving it at that. Pressing a kiss to his human's forehead, Jensen moved from the bed to get dressed. He didn't talk to Jared as he pulled on his clothes, quickly leaving the room once he was finished.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Jared was alone – _again_. Jensen had been spending all of his time with the elders, and it was really starting to piss Jared off. So far, Jensen hadn't told him anything, which lead Jared to believe Jensen was keeping things from him because it was bad. And that meant that Jeff was probably not going to be okay when all of this was over. And Jared wasn't really sure how that made him feel.

On the one hand, Jared wanted to be angry at his brother. He'd tried to kill him! If it hadn't been for Jensen, he would have. But on the other hand, he was his brother. And while Jared didn't know exactly what had happened to Jeff while he was here, he knew that it had to have been something bad to make him act the way he had. 

Before he'd realized his feelings for Jensen, Jared had wished his brother was dead. He wished _he_ would have been dead – it would have been better than being some vampire's bitch. But then Jared had realized just how good for him Jensen was. Apparently, Jeff hadn't had the same kind of experience. And Jared wanted to help. More than anything, he wanted to rescue his brother. But right now, he had absolutely no idea how. 

Stopping the treadmill that he was training on, Jared grabbed the towel he'd brought into the rec room with him, wiping the sweat from his face and neck. He wanted Jensen to talk to him. He wanted to know what was going on. He _needed_ to know. When Jensen came home tonight, Jared was going to get answers from him.

Finished with his workout, Jared headed back to Jensen's room. He needed to take a shower. At least that would kill some time. Hopefully by the time he was finished, Jensen would be home. Of course, Jared knew that was wishful thinking – Jensen usually didn't come back until the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes, Jared wondered if Jensen was just doing that to avoid him. But he wasn't going to give Jensen that option tonight.

Once he was finished with his shower, Jared quickly pulled on a pair of clean sweat pants before he grabbed the book he'd been reading, settling in for a long night. Maybe waiting for Jensen, Jared would be able to get a few chapters in before he got distracted by a half naked, sexy as hell vampire walking into the room.

Somewhere along the line, Jared must have fallen asleep. Because when he woke up to the sound of the door opening, the room was pitch black. Glancing at the clock, Jared saw that it was nearly midnight. Typical of Jensen these days. “Hey,” Jared greeted, gathering up his book and placing it on the nightstand beside the clock. “You're home. How was everything today?”

When Jensen didn't respond, Jared started to get upset. He wasn't about to let Jensen just come in here and ignore him. They were talking about this tonight, dammit. However, when Jared tried to speak again, he felt the bed dip moments before lips were crushed against his. A hand in his hair roughly pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. 

Something was off. “Ow, Jensen, stop,” Jared argued, breaking the kiss. His hands came up to press against the new arrival's chest, pushing the man away from him as best as he could. But that still didn't give him any room to breathe – the man was still attacking his cheek and neck, lips closing over Jared's shoulder. “Jensen, I'm serious,” Jared argued. “Get off of me.”

Still, the assault didn't stop. Angrily, Jared shoved at the body next to him. This time, he seemed to catch the man off guard, giving him enough space to crawl to the edge of the bed. Quickly, Jared reached for the lamp, turning it on. 

Horror crept through every fiber of Jared's being when he realized that the man in the bed with him wasn't Jensen. “Mark,” he breathed, scrambling out of the bed and putting as much distance between the two of them as he possibly could. “What the hell are you doing here?!” Jared demanded. Mark hadn't bothered him since Vicki threatened him – Jared had thought this whole thing had been over. Apparently, he'd been wrong. “Get out! Now!”

“So demanding,” Mark cooed, moving from the bed and standing just a few feet from Jared. “Clearly Jensen has forgotten to teach you manners while you've been here with him. You should know your place. Humans are beneath vampires. Merely here to look pretty, feed us, and suck our dicks.”

Jared couldn't believe this was happening. Mark had no right to be in here. “If you don't leave, Jensen is going to come back and _make_ you leave,” Jared warned. “And trust me when I tell you, he isn't going to be nice about it. He doesn't like me talking to other vampires. _Especially_ ones who come into his room uninvited and make advances toward me. I'm _his_. _Only_ his.”

A satisfied smirk came to Mark's lips as he listened to Jared speak. The kid had so much confidence in Jensen – it was adorable. But they weren't going to be here when Jensen got back. Mark was going to make sure of that. “Jensen is dealing with a little problem that I created for him,” Mark explained. “He isn't going to be back for quite some time.”

The look on Jared's face had Mark smiling wider. “You see Jared, Jensen didn't meet you for the first time when you got nabbed and brought here,” Mark explained. “Jensen saw you when you were still out in the world with your brother. He watched you for weeks before your brother was taken. We both did. And we both wanted you. Of course, Jensen was the first to hear about your capture, so he had first dibs. And he stole you right out from under me.”

Slowly, Mark moved toward Jared, feeling his body respond when Jared backed away from him like a scared animal. “When I found out that you were claimed by Jensen, I knew I had to do something to get you away from him. I tried to be friends with you when I met you in the rec room, but you didn't seem interested. And then Vicki had to put her two sense in. So, I waited for the right opportunity.”

His eyes lit up with excitement at the memory that flooded his mind. “I found it when I saw your brother,” Mark continued. “He was tossed into the masses by his old owner because he was so defiant – he wasn't able to be trained. At least not by that moron who's claimed him.”

Again, Mark started moving toward Jared, reminiscing about the good times he'd had while Jared was falling in love with Jensen. “Jeff was hard to train,” Mark explained, watching as Jared's face fell. “But after a few weeks, I had him broken in. He was right where I wanted him. Right where I _needed_ him. He was ready to take his own life, which is exactly what I needed. He was broken beyond repair. So, I released him. I knew you'd see him when you left the rec room. You humans are all so predictable with your schedules and routines.”

It was obvious that Jared was starting to put the pieces together. But Mark wasn't done telling his story. So he kept going. “I watched you follow him to the masses. Of course, by the time you were both in the room, I was gone. I couldn't have Jensen seeing me and asking questions. But there was one thing I knew for sure – if I couldn't have you Jared, no one could. Though, when I heard that Jeff had failed in his task to kill both of you, I had to change tactics. And Jeff being on trial was the best turnout this could have had. Because it left you open – vulnerable. Jensen isn't around to keep you safe. Which means I can make you mine. Like you were meant to be.”

Bile rose in Jared's throat as he listened to Mark speak. He'd done this on purpose. Everything that happened to Jeff was done because Mark couldn't handle the fact that Jared wanted to be with Jensen. It made Jared sick. “You're wrong,” Jared protested, shaking his head. “I'm not open...or vulnerable. Jensen comes home to me every night. And he should be here any second.”

While Mark knew that he didn't have all night, he knew that he at least had a little more time. “You're wrong Jared,” he assured the young human. “Jensen is dealing with a trial. And tonight they're going to execute your brother. Jensen will want to be there for that. You see, in his mind, Jeff's death is the only thing that will keep you safe. Jensen will want to watch it to the end. Make sure your brother can't come back and jeopardize your safety.”

No, Mark was lying. Jensen wouldn't let them execute his brother. Jensen had assured him that he was doing something about this! But Jared knew there was a chance Mark was telling the truth. He knew that he couldn't just stay here in this room and wait for Jensen to save him. Jared needed to take matters into his own hands. “You can't touch me,” Jared assured Mark. “This brand on my chest makes sure of that. It's like a law with you vampires – you can't touch someone else's property!”

The fact that Jared thought that brand was going to save him was laughable. “Do you think I give a fuck about a tattoo?” Mark sneered. “Once you're where you belong, we'll get that piece of shit covered up.” He heard Jared's heart rate kick up at the threat, causing his lust to spike. He knew that they didn't have much time, but he was sure they could get a quickie in before he had to take Jared away from here. After all, the idea of fucking Jensen's human in his bed was kind of a turn on.

Before Jared had time to react, Mark lunged forward, hands gripping Jared's biceps roughly. With inhuman strength, Mark threw Jared onto the bed, smiling as he watched the human land on the mattress, slightly disoriented. Using his speed to his advantage, Mark moved to the bed, crawling on top of Jared and pinning him to the mattress with little effort.

Jared was helpless – trapped. He struggled against the vampire above him, but it did nothing this dissuade Mark from his task. “Get off of me!” Jared yelled, kicking out and bucking in an attempt to break free. “Get off! Now!”

“Oh, keep struggling Jared,” Mark groaned. “It turns me on when you fight.” Growling, Mark leaned in, sucking Jared's nipple into his mouth, biting down on the bud. He smiled cruelly when Jared's back arched off the bed, his cries of pain echoing in the room. Maneuvering Jared's wrists so that he could restrain him with one hand, Mark gripped Jared's hip with his free hand, forcing him to sit still on the bed.

Roughly, Mark bit into Jared's side, tongue immediately lapping at the abused skin. “You like that, Jared?” he breathed, grinding his crotch against Jared's. “You'll get used to it.” Leaning in, Mark crushed his lips against Jared's, biting the human's bottom lip when he pulled back. “You'll learn to like it rough.”

This needed to stop. Jared needed this to stop. He didn't want this vampire anywhere near him. But he couldn't move. Mark was too strong for him to fight off. That didn't stop him from fighting though. However, when Mark shoved his hand down the front of Jared's pants, cupping his flaccid cock, Jared stilled. 

For a minute, his brain short circuited. All he could think about was what Jensen would think if he saw this. Would Jensen come in here and think Jared was cheating on him? Would he think that Jared was breaking one of his cardinal rules? Would Jensen toss Jared to the masses so Mark could finally have his way with him without consequences.

No – Jared couldn't let that happen. He didn't want this. He didn't want any of this. He only wanted Jensen. He needed Jensen. And he wasn't about to give up. Jared was determined not to let this vampire take what he wanted from him. Only one person was allowed to touch him like that. And Jared was going to do everything in his power to make sure this vampire didn't get _anything_ from him. Jared just wanted to be safe. He wanted his vampire – he wanted Jensen.

The name was out of Jared's mouth before he even really had time to comprehend what was happening. Only when he heard Mark laugh above him did he realize that he'd called out Jensen's name. “He's not coming for you, Jared!” Mark sneered. “You're mine now. So you might as well just sit back and take whatever the hell I want to give to you.”

A leg pressed roughly between Jared's, prying his thighs further apart although he tried to fight it. “Get your fucking legs open,” Mark growled above him, his hand on Jared's cock squeezing painfully. He released Jared's wrists without thinking, his hand moving to yank at the waistband of Jared's sweatpants. However, he quickly realized his mistake when Jared started shoving at batting at him. 

Again, Mark growled, his hand that was gripping Jared's dick moving to wrap around Jared's throat. “You're going to learn how to obey, human,” Mark threatened. His fingernails scraped against Jared's hip as he yanked at his sweatpants once more, almost drawing blood.

Just as Jared's vision was starting to turn black from lack of oxygen, the hand wrapped around his throat was gone. The weight on top of him soon followed, Jared vaguely hearing a familiar growl as he rolled onto his hands and knees. He coughed repeatedly as he drew much needed air into his lungs, his eyes scanning the room as he started to focus on his surroundings once more.

Jensen – he was here. Jared couldn't do anything but watch as Jensen tossed Mark against the wall, fists flying and connecting with Mark's jaw. Jared heard the sound of bones crunching as Jensen punched Mark over and over again, not letting up. The left side of Mark's face was swollen and bloody by the time Jensen gripped each side of the other vampire's head, jerking with inhuman speed. Jared jumped when the sickening sound of Mark's neck snapping filled the room.

Before Mark's body even hit the floor, Jensen was on the bed, hands gripping Jared's biceps. “Baby, are you okay?” Jensen asked, checking his human over for any injuries. He didn't see any, but that did nothing to calm his nerves. Mark was known more for his psychological torment. And while Jensen was convinced he hadn't been alone with Jared long enough to cause too much damage, he couldn't know for sure. “Jay, baby, look at me.”

Slowly, Jared's eyes found their way to Jensen's. Scared, champagne hazel eyes locked on concerned moss green. Jared felt his whole body shaking as he shook his head, not comprehending what Jensen was even asking right now. “He-He just walked in here while I was sleeping,” Jared started. “It was dark...I-I thought he was you for a second. But then I realized. I tried to get him to leave, but he wouldn't listen.”

Shaking Jared gently, Jensen shushed the younger man. “Jared, I know,” Jensen whispered, pulling the shaking man into his chest and allowing his fingers to comb through Jared's hair. He knew Jared always really liked it when he did that. And it seemed to be working. Jared slowly started to relax against his chest. “It's okay, baby,” Jensen whispered. “He's not going to touch you ever again, okay? I promise.”

Although Jared wanted to relax against Jensen like this forever, he knew that he couldn't. “Jensen, Mark told me everything,” Jared explained, pulling back so he could look at Jensen's face. His hand fisted in Jensen's Henley, holding onto him like Jensen was his lifeline. “He tortured Jeff. He made him suicidal. He wanted him to kill us both. He-He said that if he couldn't have me, then no one could.”

Anger rose inside Jensen when he listened to Jared speak. He'd already known about Mark's role with Jeff – he'd learned it at the trial this evening. That's why they were taking a short recess right now – Jensen had needed to check on Jared. “I know Jay,” Jensen whispered. “Jeff told us at the trial tonight. We're on recess. I told them I needed to check on you.” Cupping Jared's cheek, Jensen explained, “I heard you calling for me when I was at the bottom of the steps. I got here as fast as I could baby.”

Again, Jensen pulled Jared into his chest, carding his fingers through Jared's hair once more. “Don't worry, baby. I'm gonna take care of this. I'm gonna take care of everything.” Pressing a kiss to the top of Jared's head, Jensen whispered, “I promise.”

After a few more moments of just sitting there and rocking Jared, there was a knock on the door. When Jared jumped, Jensen tightened his grip on the younger man, shushing him once more. “It's just Alex,” Jensen whispered, calling out to let the new arrival know that it was okay to come into the room. “Get him out of here. I want him collared and sentenced. If anyone has any questions, they can come to me personally.” Sneering at Mark's lifeless body, Jensen ordered, “Get him out of my sight.”

**~~**

** Two Months Later **

“You're a cheater,” Misha complained as he watched Jensen rake in his chips. “There's no way one man wins that many hands in a row. It just isn't possible.” He frowned when everyone around the table merely laughed at him, Misha leaning into Vicki when her fingers carded through his hair. “You agree with me, right? Jensen has to be cheating!”

Jared smiled as he took a pull from his beer, watching his friends joke and play poker. This seemed normal. And after the last few months, he needed some normalcy back in his life. This was exactly what the doctor had ordered.

After the incident with Mark, Jared had been included in the trial. Mark had been collared, just as Jensen ordered, and Jared got to watch him be poisoned. For a month, they'd let him stay in that collar. By the time they were ready to handle him, he was nothing more than a drooling invalid. If the circumstances had been different, Jared may have felt sorry for him. But with the way things had gone down, he felt nothing but relief when Jensen staked the bastard.

As far as Jeff was concerned, the trial had gone on for a few more weeks. Finally, Jeff was deemed too dangerous to be allowed around others. Jared had been granted access to speak with Jeff while he was still restrained, which he was thankful for. They'd had a long, emotional conversation about what Jeff wanted to come of himself. He wanted to be put out of his misery – he _begged_ Jared for it.

Jensen had taken Jared away from the mansion the day his brother was executed. He didn't want Jared anywhere near that place when it happened. And Jared had been grateful for it. Jensen had taken him to the park and they walked the trails. It had been a while since Jared had been able to workout in the fresh outdoors – he'd thanked Jensen for that later that evening.

Hearing Misha calling his name dragged Jared out of his memories. A wide smile came to Jared's lips as he picked up his cards, checking to see what kind of hand he'd been dealt. “I'll take two, please?” he smiled, pushing two cards toward Misha and picking up the ones he'd been dealt to replace them. He felt Jensen's hand squeeze his knee, the vampire giving him a small, encouraging smile. 

Yeah, this was exactly where he needed to be.


End file.
